Hetham Karky, Executive Director, Rights and Responsibilities Awareness Initiative, “Family, community, kindness, honesty, integrity, accepting others – that is the key to living harmoniously”

Born and raised in Amman, Jordan Hetham Karky has had to overcome several setbacks, beginning with the loss of his parents when he was very young.  He put himself through Law school in Jordan, and just before the pandemic he was invited to join Western University’s Law School as a visiting scholar. He arrived in London in July 2019 and was soon immersed in the community around him. “Since coming to Canada in 2019, I have been involved in several community organizations,” says Hetham, “I am currently the Vice-Chair of the Neighbourhood Legal Services Board and a Member of the Diversity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Advisory Committee with the City of London, and past Chair of the University Heights Public School Council for two consecutive years.”
There are many achievements that Hetham is proud of, but the one that stands out is the establishment of the Rights and Responsibility Awareness initiative (RRAI) of which he is the Executive Director. “As a new immigrant I became aware of the challenges that newcomers face in Canada,” says Hetham, “especially the pitfalls from the differences in language, culture, law - which at certain points can be dangerous.”
RRAI, an initiative created by Hetham, was funded by City of London, when his proposal to create and deliver educational courses and seminars on the rights and responsibilities of newcomers to London won the “Get Involved London, City of London, 2019,” funding. The RRAI pillars focus on Community, Education, Diversity and Justice. “RRAI is now a registered charity, established under federal Canadian laws and regulations,” says Hetham, “through our work we aim to create a better and stronger community. Our services are for everyone and the education we provide helps with legal, financial, and cultural awareness.”
“RRAI is well supported in London,” says Hetham, “more that a thousand people have been through our awareness programs – both newcomers and long-term residents. This is because the topics we cover are often universal in nature, such as wrongful dismissal, financial literacy, tax issues, housing issues.”
RRAI has received support over the years from various organizations in London providing office space, venues, trainers, etc. “I am very grateful for the support,” says Hetham, “to name a few, Pillar Non-profit Network; the London Public Library, London Police Service, the Community Legal Services clinic at Western Law and WILL Employment Solutions. In fact, Libro Credit Union provides most of the financial literacy training.”
Hetham attributes his exposure through travel to his job with Ministry of Industrial Works in Jordan. “I was fortunate to interact with people of all faiths and cultures,” he says, “but here in Canada I was further challenged to create and sustain healthy, fruitful relations not only with people of different faiths, cultures but also of different orientations, beliefs etc. and given all the differences that exist, respecting boundaries has been a good challenge.”
“Family, community, kindness, honesty, integrity, accepting others – that is the key to living harmoniously” says Hetham. He muses further, “It is a sign of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it. You have the right to believe whatever you want, and I must respect that. You have a right to believe regardless of whether I too subscribe to that belief.”
Hetham reflects on the experiences that he and his family have had over the past three years in London. “We have had some amazing experiences,” says Hetham “my wife misplaced her handbag one day when out shopping at a mall, and she was terrified. But people helped her, someone offered her taxi fare to get home, which she refused opting to take the bus. The bus driver allowed her to ride for free when he found out that she had lost everything, including her bus pass and phone. When she got home, we called her cell phone. The call was answered by staff from a local restaurant, and they told us that someone had found her handbag and given to them for safe keeping hoping the owner would return for it.” 
After the devastating Afzaal family incident, a stranger came up to them at the grocery store and asked if they were Muslim saying, “you are welcome, I am so sorry for what happened. You are absolutely part of our London community, if there is anything I can do please let me know.”
“Experiences like these have left was an indelible mark of the kindness, care and concern that my family has received since coming to London,” says Hetham, “this is indication of the country and community that is Canada.”
When asked what message he would like to convey to newcomers to Canada, Hetham says, “In Canada all people are treated the same – the law applies to everyone. This is so liberating, and it breeds respect among people. My advice to newcomers,” continues Hetham, “is to work on your language skills. When you have strong language skills you will be able to communicate with people. And when you can communicate things will be much, much easier.” 

---