Grunthal, Man., residents set up 24-hour 'refugee camp' to raise money for Syrian family

Beans and rice are on the menu in Grunthal, Man.,this weekendand it's all to give people a tiny taste of what it's like to be a refugee, and help one Syrian family in the process.

Starting Friday, about 30 members of the community willsleepoutside for 24 hours in a mock "refugee camp" at the Hanover fairgrounds in Grunthal to raise money to sponsor a Syrian family.

• What life is like for a refugee: Students build mock camp

"These people are coming to join us in our little makeshift refugee camp for 24 hours just to get even an inkling of what it might be like to live like that," said organizer HeatherNeufeld.

"We thought it would be a great way to raise awareness and just for people to get a bit more understanding of what it is really like."

Neufeld's husband, who is alocalpastor, and theirtwo adopted children, who are originallyfrom Mozambique, will be among the campers. They will be joined bythe local elementary school principal, youth leaders, real estate agents, lawyers and children.

Each person participating had to raise a minimum of $100 for the camp out.

Pay to participate

"This is actually quite funny because we are making people pay to bring their own stuff. For the $100 they fundraise, they can bring a sleeping bag, a tent and any clothes they have on their back. If they want to bring more than that, they have to fundraise more," said Neufeld.

For every additional $50 they raise, participants can bring a luxury item a toothbrush, a pillow, a sleeping mat or a flashlight, for example.

The money raised will help thecommunity, which is about 60 kilometres south of Winnipeg,sponsor a family of six from Syria. It hasraised more than $20,000 of the $40,000 needed tosupport the family for one year.

Neufeld said she was surprised by how many people were willing to take part in the fundraiser.

"We were hoping for about 50 people. It has been just amazing. We were shocked by the number of people that signed up. We got more than double that," she said 120 participants, to be exact.

"It's been a huge blessing."

Refugee camp rations challenge

But Neufeldrealizes not everyone inGrunthalwants to sleep outside to show they are behind the cause.

"Especially when we had snow last week. So we set up a rice and beans challenge for the whole community."

As part of that challenge, the owner of the local grocery store allowedorganizers tosellrice and beans which are commonUN refugee camp rationsto customers going in and out of the store. The buyers agreed toeat the rice and beans for one week.

But for those who are camping, besides lacking some of the comforts they're used to, there will be otherchallenges to meet. They will have to figure out where their firewood is, start a fire and cook.That may sound simple enough, butthe instructions for doing all that will be in Swahili, Portuguese, High German, and a couple of other languages. Campers will have to find someone who speaks thelanguage totranslate.

"Much like a refugee camp, you might not know the language of the place where you have been put, so you might have to try and learn a few words in a new language or have someone translate it for you," said Neufeld.

She said campers will face other challenges that will force them to answer questions like what theywould take if they had toflee their homes, or what they'd do if a border guard said they wouldn't be allowed through without a bribe. There will also be a simulated healthemergency, along with a bit of fun through atoy-making workshop.

• VIDEO:Life in refugee camp
• What it's like at a refugee camp through the camera lens of a refugee

Neufeldhas some past experience with learning about the lives of refugees. Her family hosted a family from Sudan 20 years ago. The couple will be at the camp to talk about refugee lifeand show participants how to makeflatbread.

The event starts Friday at 5 p.m. and wraps up Saturday at the same time.

"I am so pleased. What started out to raise a little awareness, we now have people getting involved in activities, and money being raised. We are so excited to see the community get behind us and be so supportive,"said Neufeld.

The community is hoping to welcome the Syrian family it's sponsoring by the end of the year.