Primacorp Ventures’ Seniors Care Home Provides Traditional Halal Meals and Housing to Afghan Refugees Arriving in Calgary

For the 5,000 Afghan refugees that that will arrive in Calgary over the next six months, Primacorp Ventures’ seniors care home, Amenida Seniors Community in Calgary, is stepping up to provide temporary shelter and welcome housing – for as many as they can accommodate – in their 151 available rooms.

As these refugees await passage into Canada, the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) and the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are working through the logistics to help them settle in Canada.

Corinne Prince, Director General at the IRCC expresses her gratitude to Primacorp Ventures. “We appreciate Primacorp’s involvement and this new partnership,” says Prince. “We thank them for their generosity.”

Amenida Seniors Community aims to provide temporary and welcome housing that is culturally informed to effectively help these new arrivals adjust to life in Canada. Amenida has hired and trained a team of Afghan cooks to ensure halal meals and snacks can be provided for these refugees.

Najib Raie, Senior Director of Business and Strategy at Primacorp Ventures, who pioneered and led this partnership, was a former Afghan refugee himself. Raie empathizes on the hardships involved in making a new life for oneself outside of their home country and hopes to expand the program nationally.

“You have to start from square one all over again,” says Raie. “There is a lot of sacrifice required, but it was ultimately worth it.”

Fariborz Birjandian, CEO of CCIS and national co-chair of the Afghan Resettlement Operation praises Primacorp Ventures and Amenida Seniors Community on their professionalism.

“I’ve personally been communicating with them to set up their facility in Calgary as transitional housing and I am quite impressed with the way they conduct business. It is clear that they appreciate the work that we do,” says Birjandian.

Amenida Seniors Community opened its doors for temporary and transitional housing on November 15, 2021. The aim of this program is to provide as much comfort and dignity as possible, for anyone undergoing this unimaginable journey. They hope that families will finally be able to resettle in a new country and live regular lives once again. Learn more about Amenida Seniors Community here.