Special New Residents at Project Refuge

Nansen is the feline mascot at Project Refuge – MCM’s community residence for refugees. One day a few months ago, a lovely stray cat requested shelter and we couldn’t refuse.  So we took her in to the delight of all the residents and named her Nansen, in honour of Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen, appointed the first High Commissioner for Refugees.

Instituted in 1954, the Nansen Refugee Award is given annually to an individual or an organization in recognition of extraordinary and dedicated service to refugees and is the most prestigious honour conferred by UNHCR. In 1985, the PEOPLE of Canada received this Distinction and that’s why we named our cat Nansen. And as you can see Nansen wasn’t the solitary individual  we had first thought – she definitely had a male companion at one point  - and now she has given birth to litter of junior Nansens – a reminder that under the most difficult circumstances, it is always  possible to extend hospitality to the ‘stranger’ in our midst.