Coombe Kids Challenge
Donation protected
Micah and Grace, children to Brad and Janine, are seeking permanent residency, so they may all live as a forever family in Australia. Whilst waiting for this process, Micah and Grace are here as international students, a costly position to be in. Micah and Grace are looking for support to cover a part of their annual school fees. This support will mean they have an opportunity to stay with the family they have been a part of for more than half of their little lives.
This is their story.
We are Brad and Janine Coombe and we are a large family with six children.
Elara, 28, is married with two children. Jessica, 26, is a school teacher with a Christian school. Nicholas, 24, is an actor based in Vancouver, Canada. Olivia, 21, is currently studying Interior Design at university and working in a café. Micah, 13, starts high school this year and Grace, 11, is in year 6 at a local primary school.
We are guardians to Micah and Grace, who have only been in Australia for twelve months. They were born in Thailand, and lived in a children’s home until permanently joining our family at the end of 2013.
We lived in Thailand as Christian missionaries from 2011 to 2017. We met Micah and Grace and fell in love with their beautiful hearts and personalities. Not having families of their own, we became full guardians to the children and have been their mum and dad for the past six years. Together, we returned to Perth at the end of 2017 and now rent a little home in Beckenham, Western Australia.
Having full guardianship of Micah and Grace, has been a blessing and allowed us to return to Australia to help with our growing family and aging parents. This guardianship however, is not enough for them to remain in Australia permanently. They are currently here on costly International Student visas.
Our goal is to have Micah and Grace settled here in Australia by obtaining their permanent residency via the Child Visa.
We hope to receive the Child Visa through application to the Migration Department via a migration lawyer. The first part of this process will cost $11 000, with detailed and vast paperwork to complete. The timeline for this visa is lengthy, taking anywhere between ten months and two years for consideration. Our prayer is granted visas in the first instance. If not, the process may continue for anywhere between three and five years.
Our conviction is that we complete and satisfy all the application requirements and the visa will be eventually granted.
Our main difficulty right now is the cost of the International Student school fees.
Micah’s annual fees equate to $24 000 and Grace’s are $16 500. This is a total of $40 500 and will continue until the Education Visas expire in 2022. At this stage we have support of $18 000 to cover these costs. This leaves a difference of $25 500 that we are looking to raise.
With Brad working two jobs and Janine as a full time Education Assistant, we cannot cover the costs of schooling Micah and Grace and live.
We are working towards our mission of educating the children and getting them child visas by raising funds. So far we have been blessed with provision of the children’s first year of education, however we now need to raise half the funds of the annual fees ourselves.
We have fund raising events planned for the coming months and we also make and sell recycled shopping bags.
If we are unable to raise the funds for the children’s fees, their visas will be cancelled and the children will be deported to Thailand where they have no family or support to raise them. We have been Micah and Grace’s family for half of their lives and this would be a devastating result for all of us.
We are asking for people to help us, so this does not become a reality.
If you, or someone you know is in a position to help us, we would be forever grateful for your kindness and generosity.
If we can reach our target to help us with the education costs, we could start to breathe and get ourselves settled back here in Australia, and slowly become independent again. At the moment our adult children and parents are helping us to pay the fees and purchase school uniforms and book lists to give Micah and Grace a head start in Australia.
We cannot continue this journey on our own. We have been fighting this battle for the children since October 2013. We need your help to get us over the finishing line. In 2 Timothy 4:7 it says, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.'
As Christians, we know that this is God’s plan for these two incredible children. To be placed with us as their “forever family”.
Will you help? Do you know someone who can help?
Please leave a message here if you would like further contact concerning ongoing donor support.
Alternatively, any support you can give us through our Go Fund Me page is welcome.
Kind Regards,
The Coombe Family
Brad, Janine, Elara, Jessica, Nicholas, Olivia, Micah and Grace.
This is their story.
We are Brad and Janine Coombe and we are a large family with six children.
Elara, 28, is married with two children. Jessica, 26, is a school teacher with a Christian school. Nicholas, 24, is an actor based in Vancouver, Canada. Olivia, 21, is currently studying Interior Design at university and working in a café. Micah, 13, starts high school this year and Grace, 11, is in year 6 at a local primary school.
We are guardians to Micah and Grace, who have only been in Australia for twelve months. They were born in Thailand, and lived in a children’s home until permanently joining our family at the end of 2013.
We lived in Thailand as Christian missionaries from 2011 to 2017. We met Micah and Grace and fell in love with their beautiful hearts and personalities. Not having families of their own, we became full guardians to the children and have been their mum and dad for the past six years. Together, we returned to Perth at the end of 2017 and now rent a little home in Beckenham, Western Australia.
Having full guardianship of Micah and Grace, has been a blessing and allowed us to return to Australia to help with our growing family and aging parents. This guardianship however, is not enough for them to remain in Australia permanently. They are currently here on costly International Student visas.
Our goal is to have Micah and Grace settled here in Australia by obtaining their permanent residency via the Child Visa.
We hope to receive the Child Visa through application to the Migration Department via a migration lawyer. The first part of this process will cost $11 000, with detailed and vast paperwork to complete. The timeline for this visa is lengthy, taking anywhere between ten months and two years for consideration. Our prayer is granted visas in the first instance. If not, the process may continue for anywhere between three and five years.
Our conviction is that we complete and satisfy all the application requirements and the visa will be eventually granted.
Our main difficulty right now is the cost of the International Student school fees.
Micah’s annual fees equate to $24 000 and Grace’s are $16 500. This is a total of $40 500 and will continue until the Education Visas expire in 2022. At this stage we have support of $18 000 to cover these costs. This leaves a difference of $25 500 that we are looking to raise.
With Brad working two jobs and Janine as a full time Education Assistant, we cannot cover the costs of schooling Micah and Grace and live.
We are working towards our mission of educating the children and getting them child visas by raising funds. So far we have been blessed with provision of the children’s first year of education, however we now need to raise half the funds of the annual fees ourselves.
We have fund raising events planned for the coming months and we also make and sell recycled shopping bags.
If we are unable to raise the funds for the children’s fees, their visas will be cancelled and the children will be deported to Thailand where they have no family or support to raise them. We have been Micah and Grace’s family for half of their lives and this would be a devastating result for all of us.
We are asking for people to help us, so this does not become a reality.
If you, or someone you know is in a position to help us, we would be forever grateful for your kindness and generosity.
If we can reach our target to help us with the education costs, we could start to breathe and get ourselves settled back here in Australia, and slowly become independent again. At the moment our adult children and parents are helping us to pay the fees and purchase school uniforms and book lists to give Micah and Grace a head start in Australia.
We cannot continue this journey on our own. We have been fighting this battle for the children since October 2013. We need your help to get us over the finishing line. In 2 Timothy 4:7 it says, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.'
As Christians, we know that this is God’s plan for these two incredible children. To be placed with us as their “forever family”.
Will you help? Do you know someone who can help?
Please leave a message here if you would like further contact concerning ongoing donor support.
Alternatively, any support you can give us through our Go Fund Me page is welcome.
Kind Regards,
The Coombe Family
Brad, Janine, Elara, Jessica, Nicholas, Olivia, Micah and Grace.
Fundraising team: Coombe Challengers (2)
Sarah Emma
Organizer
Applecross WA
Janine Coombe
Beneficiary
Janine Coombe
Team member
