About House of Omeed

“Omeed” is Persian for hope. The House of Omeed exists to inspire hope in the hearts of refugees and newcomers to Canada as they are transplanted into an unfamiliar, incomprehensible society. Many intimidating obstacles such as language barriers, unemployment, and not knowing a single person, can cause newcomers to lose hope of ever settling in and feeling comfortable in their beautiful and relatively safe, new home. From the conception of our charity, God has been faithful in enabling us to help thousands of our newcomers and refugees in their hardships.

Our founder, Ahmad Zeividavi, was a refugee himself. At the age of 19, Ahmad was a refugee in Turkey where God gave him spiritual sight, and he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. From his experience in Turkey, Ahmad became intimately aware of the challenges of immigration and the specific needs of refugees. When he came to Canada, he visited many settlement agencies and realized each place was overcrowded, and different places offered different services. Ahmad knew then that Vancouver needed a centre that felt like home. A place where each person would feel they were amongst family when they came through the doors; a place they could sit down with someone who cared, share their story, and receive help and encouragement.

In 2012, Ahmad received a vision from God of a charity supported by churches and organizations. One that would journey alongside refugee families and newcomers while meeting their needs and sharing the precious love of Christ.

God has since graciously fulfilled this dream by establishing the House of Omeed. We are a registered charity governed and run by people who were once refugees themselves, and we offer loving care and support for newcomers, refugees, and people in the Middle East. To learn more about our programs, please visit “Our Services”.