Toronto, ON – On June 20th, 2024, Alexia Cito, Director of the Love Peace Harmony Foundation, attended the “Uniting for Change: Celebrating the Strength and Resilience of Refugees on World Refugee Day” event, representing the foundation to share messages of solidarity and support. This significant gathering brought together over 250 refugees and asylum seekers, along with refugee-led and serving organizations, to mark World Refugee Day. Organized by Hope for Refugees International (HRI) in collaboration with dedicated partners including the 519, FCJ Refugee Centre, Toronto People Living with AIDS Foundation (PWA), The Neighborhood Group Community Services (TNG), FIFE House, Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA), African Descent Ontario, and Love Peace Harmony Foundation, the event was held at PWA, aiming to honor the strength, courage, and resilience of refugees in Canada and globally, with a special focus on the unique challenges faced by refugees within Canada. Canada has a long-standing tradition of providing refuge to those fleeing conflict and persecution. However, the journey for many refugees does not end upon arrival. The challenges faced by refugees in Canada are significant and multifaceted. Many refugees struggle to find emergency shelters and affordable housing, often encountering racial discrimination in the process, which leaves them vulnerable and without stable living conditions. Additionally, refugees, particularly Black African LGBTQ+ refugees, face numerous obstacles in accessing essential healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health services, mental health support, and HIV/AIDS care due to discrimination and a lack of culturally sensitive and tailored services unique to their needs. Economic challenges are also rampant among refugees, with unemployment, underemployment, and poverty being prevalent. Systemic barriers such as racism and lack of essential information prevent refugees from accessing employment opportunities and achieving economic stability. Furthermore, discrimination, homophobia, and hate speech are pervasive, even within refugee and immigrant communities. Conservative cultural beliefs and religious values can exacerbate these issues, leading to ostracism and isolation for LGBTQ+ refugees. The event featured speeches from policymakers, politicians, and service providers, including Love Peace Harmony Foundation’s director Alexia Cito, all of whom shared their messages of solidarity with refugees, reflecting on their work and commitment to refugee issues. Refugees shared their inspirational stories of survival, courage, and resilience, celebrating their achievements and discussing the challenges they face. Black African refugees showcased their talents in painting, spoken word, rap, singing, dancing, drumming, and gymnastics, celebrating their creativity and skills. Organizations serving refugees exhibited and showcased their services, providing an opportunity for refugees to interact with service providers and better understand the resources available to them. Hope for Refugees International urges all Canadians to join in commemorating World Refugee Day and to advocate for policies and practices that support refugees in Canada. Refugees need our solidarity now more than ever. Solidarity means keeping our doors open, celebrating their diversity, strengths, and achievements, and reflecting on the challenges they face. Safe spaces for dialogue, sharing, learning, peer-to-peer support, and community building are essential. Refugee-led grassroots organizations play a vital role in reaching our community and providing necessary resources and support. Collaborative efforts between refugee-serving organizations and policymakers, involving refugees in decision-making processes, are crucial to addressing their unique needs and vulnerabilities. Let us challenge the status quo and stand for a world where all refugees, regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation, are treated with dignity and respect. Together, we can build a future where every individual can live authentically and thrive.
Love Peace Harmony volunteer Nina Kaiser has worked as a nurse for 16 years. Nina used the Love Peace Harmony song and player for many years during her work and with patients, playing it at her place of work, as well as at patients’ homes – especially for those in palliative care. Their feedback and experiences have been very positive.
Then, four years ago, Nina became paralyzed in an emergency back surgery and suddenly was a patient herself, unable to work and constantly in pain, dependent on nurses and assistance. She shares, “It was quite the journey to find myself again in this new reality. And to find ways to volunteer again. At first I started online sessions supported by a dear friend.”
“After two years I was able to move out and live by myself in an apartment again – supported from a nursing service, assistance and therapists. In the building I moved to the top three floors are a senior living facility. In December 2022 I started to volunteer weekly visiting patients, singing with them, playing the Love Peace Harmony song, and tracing the Love Peace Harmony Calligraphies. It was such a huge accomplishment for me to be able to volunteer again, even in a wheelchair and physically impaired myself. My experience was that the patients didn´t care about that at all.”
She would sit at the bedsides of those who were passing on, read to them, and hold space, while gently playing the Love Peace Harmony song.
One senior she visits weekly is living with dementia, and he sometimes is too tired to sit upright in his wheelchair. Nina guides him to focus the Love Peace Harmony practice on boosting his energy. Nina shares that after practicing with the Love Peace Harmony Field he is always sitting upright and more alert.
For Christmas 2023, she worked together with 3 other LPHF volunteers to be part of their special Christmas celebration, singing the Love Peace Harmony song and other Christmas songs. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One woman, who had recently lost her husband, started to cry and thanked the group in the midst of her tears. One nursing assistant shared how she felt the Love Peace Harmony Song was so beautiful, that it touched her deeply and she wanted to hear it again. After this success, Nina and the other volunteers go regularly to serve the seniors there.
When a Caregiver Becomes a Patient and Continues to Serve Their Community: A Story of Resilience and Compassion
Love Peace Harmony Foundation volunteer Nina Kaiser has dedicated 16 years of her life to nursing, using the Love, Peace and Harmony song and player to bring comfort to her patients. She played the song at her workplace and in patients’ homes, particularly for those in palliative care, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback.
However, four years ago, Nina faced a life-changing event. An emergency back surgery left her paralyzed, transforming her from a caregiver to a patient. Unable to work and in constant pain, she relied on nurses and assistance. “It was quite the journey to find myself again in this new reality and to find ways to volunteer again,” Nina shared. Initially, she started conducting online sessions with the support of a dear friend.
After two years, Nina regained some independence and moved into an apartment, receiving support from nursing services, assistants, and therapists. The top three floors of her new building housed a senior living facility. In December 2022, she began volunteering weekly, visiting patients, singing with them, playing the Love, Peace and Harmony song, and tracing the Love Peace Harmony Calligraphies. Despite being in a wheelchair and physically impaired, Nina felt a profound sense of accomplishment. “My experience was that the patients didn’t care about my physical limitations at all,” she said.
Nina’s compassionate spirit shone through as she sat at the bedsides of those nearing the end of their lives, reading to them, holding space, and gently playing the Love Peace Harmony song. One of her regular visits includes a senior living with dementia. Often too tired to sit upright in his wheelchair, he finds renewed energy and alertness after focusing on the Love Peace Harmony practice guided by Nina.
For Christmas 2023, Nina collaborated with three other Love Peace Harmony Foundation (LPHF) volunteers to participate in a special Christmas celebration. They sang the Love Peace Harmony song along with other Christmas carols. The response was overwhelmingly positive. One woman, who had recently lost her husband, was moved to tears and expressed her gratitude. A nursing assistant also shared how deeply the Love Peace Harmony song touched her, saying she wanted to hear it again.
Buoyed by this success, Nina and the other volunteers now regularly serve the seniors at the facility, bringing joy and comfort through their heartfelt efforts.
This story of Nina Kaiser exemplifies resilience, compassion, and the transformative power of the Love Peace Harmony Foundation’s mission. Despite her own challenges, Nina continues to make a significant impact on her community, proving that the spirit of service can transcend personal hardships.
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