Eritrean refugee children see snow for first time in video clip praised as 'amazing' by Canadian leader Trudeau
Video has been viewed almost two million times
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Your support makes all the difference.Footage of two Eritrean children enjoying their first snowfall in Canada has been viewed millions of times on social media.
The 42-second clip, taken by Rebecca Davies, shows the boy and girl jumping in their oversized jackets as the snowflakes come down.
Dancing around the back garden of their Toronto home, the appear to marvel at the sight.
The video has been watched more than two million times and ‘liked’ over 132,000 times on Twitter.
“Beautiful! I experienced snowfall for the first time in the tender age of 35, and eight years on I did not get over it. Thank you for sharing it with us. The #WesternWorld has got a lot to learn from #Canada,” one person said.
Another commentator wrote: “This brought me to TEARS!!!!!! Literally tears!!!! I can’t find much more on earth to be thankful for and happy for.. In America – everything seems dark and gloomy right now.. To see these children happy. Laughing. Smiling. Playing. I just feel great joy.. Thank you.. Just thanks”.
A third added: “You are a hero. Thank you for your love & generosity.”
The video also earned praise from Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has long championed the country’s open door policy to refugees.
He retweeted the video and added: “Amazing – now convince them that shovelling is fun and you’re all set. Thank you for everything you do, Rebecca. #WelcomeToCanada.”
Between 2015 and 2016, Canada resettled more than 25,000 refugees, many of them through private sponsorship programs.
Ms Davies, is a member of a group called Ripple Refugee Project, which has raised tens of thousands to help sponsor and resettle four families from Syria and Eritrea in Toronto.
She explained in a follow-up tweet that the siblings were part of a family of five who had fled conflict in Eritrea.
They has arrived in Canada from a refugee camp in Sudan just 48-hours earlier with their mother.
“The family of five is living temporarily with me until we can get them on their feet. All costs related to their sponsorship are from voluntary, private donations. X” she wrote.
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