Canadian Multicultural Festival

Marisa Kaczmarczyk is the Director of Client Services at the New Canadians Centre and has worked at NCC for just over 6 years.  Prior to NCC, she worked at a number of non-profit organizations in the Peterborough and Northumberland region, primarily focusing on international development and global education.  She is the daughter of immigrants who experienced the impact of the war and displacement first-hand before arriving in Canada in the 1950s.

Carlos Padrino was born and raised in Venezuela, where he earned a degree in Animal Production Engineering in 1993. He and his wife, Sahimar, later married and together have two sons. From that point on, Carlos worked in his professional field until 2018.

Due to the difficult situation in Venezuela, the family migrated to Peru, where Carlos spent five years engaged in a wide range of jobs. Since June 2023, he has been living in Peterborough, Canada, as a refugee. He is currently studying English at Fleming College and volunteers at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, where he contributes to a meaningful and necessary cause. For Carlos, arriving and living in this great country is not just about seeking refuge—it is about living with purpose, dignity, and determination.

As he reflects, “Being here doesn’t make me just another refugee—it reminds me of life’s true essence when lived with determination and respect.”

Sahimar Padrino was born in Venezuela, where she earned a degree in Education and worked with children for over 20 years. Since June 2023, she has been living in Peterborough, Ontario, as a refugee alongside her husband and two children. These past two years have been an extraordinary journey of transformation, learning, adaptation, and personal growth.

She is currently studying English at Fleming College. Sahimar deeply enjoys sewing, crafts, and volunteering, as she believes in the power of community and the importance of helping others. Her dream is to communicate confidently in English so she can return to teaching, start a business with her handmade creations, and build a future where hard work turns into opportunity. For Sahimar, this creative space is where thread, colour, and heart come together.

As she beautifully puts it, “Refugee is not my identity, but a reminder of the strength behind my new beginning.”

At age five, Charlotte and her family had to flee her native Rwanda because of the civil war. She lived in refugee camps in Tanzania and Kenya.

In 2016, she and her family were sponsored to come to Canada.

Today, in Peterborough, Charlotte has found a forever home where she is learning new skills, building confidence, and improving her English.

Charlotte shares her story of life in temporary housing in refugee camps in East Africa to finding a forever home in Peterborough.