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C. Refugee Profiles by World Region

Africa

Of all respondents, the refugees from Africa have the highest prevalence of English language usage in the home (15%). They are also the youngest group (29.7 years for adults) and are the second most recent arrivals, with 82% arriving in 1996/97. Additionally, 47% of adults report that they are not married, the largest percentage of any group. About three-quarters (77%) of African respondents report having spent time in a refugee camp (only East Asians are more likely to have been in a refugee camp). The African refugees are highly concentrated in the larger urban centres; two-thirds live in Edmonton or Calgary.

Most adult refugees from Africa finished high school prior to their arrival and 42% report having completed some or all of their post-secondary education. They are less likely than other groups to have had a paying job prior to arrival in Canada (65%). Of those with occupations prior to arrival, 44% report employment in managerial or professional positions, although a significant proportion report no occupation (41%).

Table 3-1
Africa
(Sample Size: 34 Adults and 5 Youth)

  1. Language and Ethnicity
    • The most prevalent mother tongue is Somali (46%) followed by Amharic (18%). Other mother tongues include: French, Tigrinya, Swahili, Oromo, Arabic, and other African languages (36%).
    • 15% of respondents are unable to speak any English.
    • 44% use Somali as their home language. Other home languages include English (15%), Amharic (15%), and other languages (26%).
    • 49% of African respondents report Swahili as their ethnicity. 19% are Ethiopian and 32% indicate other African ethnicities.
    • Respondents come from the following countries: Uganda, Burundi, Zaire (Republic of Congo), Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan.
  2. Time of Arrival
    • 82% of African respondents arrived in 1996/97. Almost all of the remaining 18% arrived in 1994/95.
  3. Refugee Camp Experience
    • 77% of respondents have spent time in a refugee camp.
    • The mean number of months spent in a camp by Africans is 45.
  4. Demographic Characteristics and Family Status
    • 44% of respondents are female and 56% are male.
    • The mean age of adults in this sample is 29.7 years, while the average for the youth in the sample is 17.0 years.
    • 13% of Africans are aged 15-21; 59% of respondents are aged 22-30; 29% are aged 31-50.
    • 38% of adult refugees are married, 9% are married with their spouse living elsewhere, 47% are single.
    • The average household size is 3.1 people.
    • 35% of Africans currently live in Calgary, 32% live in Edmonton, 15% live in Lethbridge and 12% live in Fort McMurray. Others live elsewhere.
    • Half of the African respondents indicated they arrived in Canada alone.
    • All respondents indicated they left family members behind.
    • 27% of respondents had family members living in Canada when they arrived.
  5. Education and Occupation Prior to Arrival (Adult Refugees only)
    • 41% of Africans completed high school prior to arrival, while 42% completed some or all post-secondary education.
    • The mean number of years of schooling for Africans is 12.6 years.
    • 59% say they had some formal job training in their home country.
    • 65% indicate they had a paying job before their arrival in Canada.

    • 41% of adult African respondents say they had no occupation prior to their arrival in Canada. Managers and professionals make up 44% of the respondents. The remaining 15% indicate they worked in clerical/service or blue-collar jobs.

 

 

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