Settlement Issues: Rita Chahal

Rita Chahal: The new head of Manitoba's largest refugee settlement agency, Welcome Place, knows what it's like to feel welcome. Rita Chahal hopes her experience in dealing with business and government can help Welcome Place with settlement issues. MIKE DEAL / Photo Store Fewer welcomed In 2012-13, Welcome Place helped 688 newcomers from 51 countries. In 2011-12, it welcomed 923 people. More than 45.2 million people were displaced at the end of 2012 compared with 42.5 million at the end of 2011. This includes 15.4 million refugees, 937,000 asylum-seekers and 28.8 million people forced to flee within the borders of their own countries. Poor nations were more welcoming than rich nations. Of the 10.5 million refugees under UNHCR's mandate, half are being hosted by countries that have a per capita GDP of less than US$5,000. Developing countries host 81 per cent of the world's refugees compared with 70 per cent a decade ago. Almost half are kids, more are alone. Children under 18 make up 46 per cent of all refugees. A record 21,300 asylum applications submitted during 2012 were from children who were unaccompanied or separated from their parents -- the highest number of kids with no parent that UNHCR has recorded. -- sources: Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.