Ashfaq (Kash) Hussain was born in Pakistan, but left exceedingly early when his father, a physician, moved the family to England in 1955. “My parents moved our family from country to country seeking a better life,” says Ashfaq. He and his brothers attended a Catholic boarding school on the island of Malta, when in 1970 his parents decided to immigrate to Canada. They arrived in Nova Scotia on December 31, 1970, where Ashfaq went on to complete his university education, get married and work as a respected electrical engineer for over 20 years.
Ashfaq identifies as a South Asian male who is blind, losing his sight in his early forties. “I was already established as a husband, father, friend and professional and hence this condition did not define who I was, it added to who I was,” he reflects. He has a clear perspective of his needs and wants stemming from this disability, and it is this perspective that allows him to demand the same for others in similar situations. “I am never quite sure when people meet me if they see me first as a "brown" person or a "blind" person” says Ashfaq. “In fact,” he continues, “I have felt that having dual identities has allowed me to speak with knowledge on the intersection of race and disability.”  He believes that his advocacy is to lift others up to where he is today. “Any time that I have felt pushed aside,” says Ashfaq “I have seized the opportunity to teach and enlighten. My primary contribution to my country as an immigrant is to share what I have and what I know with others, so that they too may soar.”
“As my parents had done when they moved the family to Canada, my wife and I started looking to the future. We knew that the future of our family had to be designed around the needs of our children and hence we moved to Ontario to provide the kids with more opportunities.” The family moved to London in November 1994 when Ashfaq accepted a new challenging role as a Senior Electrical Engineer with Dillon Consulting Limited. London was just the place they were looking for – small with a vibrant community and safe neighbourhoods, a great university, good schools, and a thriving Muslim Community.
Ashfaq’s faith has been the moral compass for his life providing guidance and structure in his day-to-day activities.“I have always treated people with kindness, compassion, empathy and respect,” says Ashfaq. He continues,“The freedom to practise my faith in Canada allows me to decide how I will live my life, and I will be judged on the decisions that I have made, not by what others tell me to do. This is as per the Koran which says there is no compulsion in religion.”
Volunteerism has been a key aspect of Ashfaq’s life, and he has been generous with his time from the moment he arrived in Canada over 50 years ago. Over the past 30 years in London, he has volunteered with several organizations and continues to be involved in many of them today. “I would hope my volunteerism has contributed to making a difference in the lives of Londoners” says Ashfaq. He is passionate about highlighting issues pertaining to accessibility, diversity and inclusion. About the time that he stopped working due to his vision loss he was called on by the City of London to review the Facility Accessibility Design Standard that the City was preparing. Leveraging his engineering knowledge, he provided his input and from that point onwards he became an active advocate for Persons with Disabilities and started to volunteer with the City on their advisory committees.
To newcomers to London, Ashfaq has a few nuggets of advice. “Be confident in taking your place at the table,” he says. “If you want to see change, then you have to be part of the change.”  Ashfaq reflects that to feel at home, immigrants must become part of the community, but that there will be barriers to overcome. “Don't be discouraged,” he advises, “there will be people waiting to embrace you so long as you are ready to reciprocate. Friendship is a two-way street which can only be successful when both parties participate.”

Morad Alharibi remembers the day he arrived in Canada. It was November 8, 2016, when he crossed the border into Quebec from New York State with 14 members of his extended family, including his wife and kids, his dad, stepmother, his brothers, sisters and their families. “Since the day I immigrated to Canada,” he says, “I have been walking the streets like I would walk the streets of my home in Yemen, with a sense of belonging.” Morad chose Canada because of his many visits to the country while studying across the border at the University of Buffalo, earning his degree in Information Technology. In the USA he felt judged because of his ethnicity, but in Canada it is completely different, “here they look at you for who you are, it is not about skin colour, religion, language,” he says.
After university he joined his family in Saudi Arabia where he lived for over 16 years. “From a financial perspective Saudi Arabia is a good place to be, but you sacrifice your quality of life,” says Morad. In their first year in Montreal, the family received tremendous support from various agencies who helped them find homes, jobs and helped get the children into school. “This is the support we are missing back in our home country,” says Morad, “here we were given help in the ways the Koran tells us to help each other.” He took whatever work he could find, as an Amazon driver, an Uber-eats driver, even starting a business importing from China and selling on Amazon. “Then in 2018.” says Morad, “we opened a Yemini restaurant called ‘Mandi Guys’ in Toronto, and later in the GTA, where we learned from our mistakes.”  He moved the restaurant to London in early 2020, believing there was a market in this city for Yemeni cuisine.  “As we started up our restaurant business in London, the City of London helped us in many ways. Providing training for employees, bookkeeping services, etc.,” says Morad, “in fact, the City approached us after we started Mandi Guys to find out how they can help because they wanted us to succeed.”
An entrepreneur since the age of 23, Morad is constantly looking for good ideas to expand his business.  In addition to the restaurant venture, he has also begun importing chocolate products from the highly regarded Belgian company Herco Foods, while also exporting “Happy Water” from B.C. to the Middle East.
Morad reflects on the ways in which Canada has changed his mindset. In the past, he led his life based on a strict religious upbringing but after arriving in Canada, he was exposed to the diversity of others. “I feel that God wants all of us to be happy and to be successful,” says Murad, “I have met people from different nationalities, different religions, different cultures and they changed the way I see the world. This has allowed me to deal with people in individual ways.” When he moved from Montreal to Mississauga, he found comfort in the melting pot of various ethnic groups. “When you see the diversity in Canada, it makes it easier to adapt as an immigrant. Canada is my home; I am here to stay” he says proudly.
His father has been his consistent role model from childhood – in the way he supported and helped others, the way be stood by women, the way he did deals, etc. Morad has always tried to follow in his footsteps. His core beliefs are founded in his faith. “Islam was given to us to tell us how to live as good humans. It is required that I love others through my humanity,” says Morad.  He reflects further, “we are built to love and provide support to each other, it is inside each of us, and Islam provides us the way to do that. Canada is the best place to live, and to live your humanity in the way it was meant to be.”
Reflecting on his experience with his various business ventures, Morad muses, “I made a lot of mistakes when I first started the restaurant business, and I would like to share my experiences with new immigrants through YouTube videos. There is a saying in Arabic, ‘you do not learn to swim by opening a book, you have to get into the water’ – in other words, you can only learn through experience, and I am very proud that I have mentored many of my family and friends towards opening their own businesses.”  Morad believes that in Canada he has the freedom and the opportunity to create, to fail and to succeed. He is currently finalizing the paperwork to franchise Mandi Guys across Canada and the USA.
“It is not business that fails, it is plans that fail,” says Morad, “If it fails first time, then change the plan till you find the one that succeeds.”

“A young immigrant family with dreams, aspirations, skills and luggage arrived in London on the night of June 5, 2018,” says Olayinka (Yinka) Ademuyiwa with pride, “that family was mine.”
Born, raised, and educated in Nigeria, Yinka and her husband left their beloved country to seek an environment in which to raise their children in safety and freedom. Their search brought them to Canada, but it was providence that brought them to London - a multicultural city with affordable housing, outstanding education, low crime rates and beautiful outdoor scenery. Their final destination was Toronto, but as their Greyhound bus from Windsor made its way through London, she and her husband looked at each other, liked what they saw – the peace, the slower pace, the green forested areas, and they decided on the spur of the moment to get off the bus, where they found accommodation for the night. The next morning, they walked into a real estate firm on Wellington Road intending to look for accommodation and met the one man who made all the difference to their lives in Canada. Yinka says, “Richard Miller of Richart Realty took a chance on us helping us find accommodation, employing me, and convincing me that I would be successful in Canada, he inspires me to be kind.”  
Canada has been everything that Yinka hoped it would be. From her first job with Richart Realty Inc., Brokerage to achieving her Community Services Worker diploma (with distinction) from Trios College to her work with the Ontario Public Service as a Victim Witness Services Worker at the London Courthouse. Inspired by the people who supported and helped her, she created a WhatsApp group for Nigerian newcomers in London helping them to navigate employment, childcare, housing and even shopping. Since 2019 the community in this group has helped over 60 families to settle and thrive in London. She is also a volunteer on the City of London's Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy which focuses on ways to improve access to employment for newcomers, racial minorities, and people with disabilities in London. “My manager Dericka March,” she continues “from the Victim Witness assistance program has been incredibly supportive as well.” However, she credits her husband for being her greatest inspiration. “He has been my biggest support and encouragement,” she says.
Yinka says that she follows the teachings of Islam which direct her to be at peace with others. She would like her children to grow up to be proud Muslim Canadians, especially as all peoples and all faiths are welcome in Canada. “Integrity, family, community, kindness and inclusion are values that are the most important to me” says Yinka. She continues, “My mode of dressing, the colour of my skin, the way I speak and the spicy food that I love to eat; all these things are part of my identity, and I am thankful that I live in an environment that allows me to practice my culture and religion without fear of discrimination”
There were several London based services that Yinka and her family reached out to for support - such as the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre and LUSO Community Services. “There is so much help for immigrants that people do not know about,” says Yinka. Based on her experience, Yinka has a word of advice for newcomers. “I would like newcomers to understand that, if you want a place to be your home, you need to make it a home. Be law-abiding. Respect others. Get involved with the community. Connect with people. Ask questions and share experiences.”