Reporters' notebook: 3 months covering Syrian refugees

The federal government has met its target, bringing in more than 26 thousand Syrian refugees, including more than 2,200 toB.C.

Since the push began to bring in Syrian refugees,CBC journalists Bal Brach and Catherine Rolfsen have been covering their stories from the tearful airport reunions, to the ongoingchallenges finding housing, accessing English courses and getting jobs in this province.

Three months into the Finding Refuge project, they're sharing what they've learned.

• 3 months covering Syrian refugees: CBC reporters answer your questions
• Finding Refuge: Syrian arrivals prepare for a new life

The surprises

Catherine Rolfsen: I have to admit, I had a one-dimensional idea of a refugee before beginning this project:a victim who is thrilled to arrive inCanada.

But manyrefugees had good lives before the Syrian civil warand asmuch as they're grateful to be inCanada and they arethey are mourning their homesand thefamily they lost or left behind.

One family I spoke toleft elderly parents in a war zonetobring theiryoung children to Canada.

Bal Brach: I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the negativity,butI was taken aback by some of the comments on our stories.

I did a story on a 12-year-old Vancouver boy who used his allowance to buy mittens for refugees, and he was attacked in the comment section.

I remember texting his mom immediately and warning her not to let him read the comments. I've never had to do that before.

But it wasn't all negative. I've done stories about communities coming together to offer counseling or English classes.

• Online comments on news stories: a problem for everyone

The challenges

Bal Brach: Some of these stories have been really heavy emotionally, they sit with you.

The one story I had a difficult time with was Farrah Ali's. She was out with her son for ice cream when a car bomb exploded and she was severely injured.

Her husband showed me the graphic photos of what that bomb did to her body and to this day, I can't getthose images out of my mind.

Catherine Rolfsen: For me, the hardest part has been maintaining my distance as a journalist, given the fact that somerefugees have asked me personally forhelp.

I visited a widow who's arrived in Canada with her five children, but she says hereldest daughteris trapped at the Syrian-Jordanian border with her two children.

She was hoping I might be able tobring them to Canada.

The highlights

Bal Brach: I love hearing when stories inspire others to act. I did a story about Salmon Arm, a small community bringingin close to 40 Syrian refugees.

After my story aired, I receivedemails and calls from across the country, from people who wanted to help the first Syrian refugee who'd arrived, or learn more about Salmon Arm's efforts.

I passed those on to the sponsors and now they're helping neighbouring communities do the same thing.

Catherine Rolfsen:One of my favourite moments was meeting up with a Syrian refugee family at a local park, and watching their four-year-old daughter race to the playground.

When I asked why she was so excited about an ordinary playground, I was told she had never been to one before. It was too dangerous for her to play outside in Syria.

Many of the refugees I've met say they've made the journey to Canada for their children. That moment showed me why.

Bal Brach is a reporter at CBC News Vancouver. She has more than a decade of experience working as a reporter in television, radio and online news across Canada. Bal is currently working on stories about Syrian refugees in B.C. for CBC Vancouver's Finding Refuge project. Shecan be contacted at Bal.Brach@cbc.ca, 604.662.6126 or @balbrach

Catherine Rolfsen is a story producer with The Early Edition at CBC Radio Vancouver. During the winter of 2015-16, she's following stories of Syrian refugees Finding Refuge in B.C. Catherine's work has been recognized with regional and national awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Reach her at Catherine.Rolfsen@cbc.ca or @crolfsen

To listen to the full interview, click the link labelled:Behind the scenes with CBC journalists covering Syrian refugees.