Help to reunite a family

This campaign is led by Simon and Ruan in Canada. We are raising funds on behalf of our co-worker Riaan Schaake.

Riaan has worked with us since June 2022, he is from South Africa. Riaan has a strong personality, he is focussed, determined and has a good work ethic. He is very productive and efficient with his time, in turn that frees up time for him to help others on the farm team to get more done. He is knowledgeable and always willing to impart that knowledge to help others, but even the strongest of people need their family. Riaan is here in Canada alone without his wonderful wife and two amazing children. We all know how important family is, and the importance of keeping a family together, for the well-being of everyone in the family. Riaan needs his wife and their boys need their father.

This is Riaan’s story:

In 2017 Riaan left South Africa to go work in the USA to provide a better life for his family. He would be away from his family for up to 9 months at a time, he is a CDL truck driver and worked in the USA on a H2A visa. He was compelled to do this as his occupation as a CDL truck driver in SA was becoming too dangerous and times were tough. The money he earned was not enough to carry them through. There was also no future or chance of a promotion for Riaan driving trucks in SA. The move abroad was the right decision. Unfortunately it has kept the family apart for many months at a time, Riaan has missed much of his two boy’s lives growing up and becoming teenagers. But the family has worked through it year after year knowing that the goal at the end of it all would be that the whole family would go over to the USA and be together and not have to live separate lives like they have been doing ever again.

For 5 years he travelled to the USA every year, working long hard hours to ensure a future where by the family could come to him and become permanent. Fast forward to November 2021, Riaan was informed by the farming company that he worked for that the company would not be applying for a permanent position for him. He was also informed that the company would be cutting down on staff and that he was among several people who would not be returning to work for them.

Arriving home with news that the last 5 years had all been for nothing was the worst Christmas present ever. Contemplating the future and decisions made in the past, he applied for work with another company in the USA and left SA in March 2022 to start the process all over again. Two weeks after his arrival he received an email from the immigration agency to say that they had secured a permanent position for him on a farm in Canada with permanent residence.

After discussing the opportunity; the timeline and all the new costs involved, with the family, the decision was made to take up the offer and Riaan went to Canada. On the 9th of June 2022 Riaan started working in Canada. After 6 months of him working, the agency was able to start the permanent residence process. But this involved substantial costs, costs that the family were not financially ready to take on. The first payment due was $3150 and was paid with the last of their savings. Then the news was received that the process for the family to go to Canada has to be completed within 18 months of Riaan’s PR application or it would be a lengthy process and with added extra costs. Now that the permanent residence application is being processed more fees will soon be due, next of which is the application for Riaan’s wife, Natasha and their two children.

The current situation has put a lot of strain on finances and the biggest challenge is having to save money for all the government administration costs to get the family legally ready to go to Canada. There is very little money left at the end of the month once all the bills have been paid and with the fast rising energy crisis in SA the cost of living keeps going up weekly making it difficult to budget and save. What they have saved falls far short of what they need.

Riaan is a proud man and has been trying to cover this burden on his own. He just wants to give his family the best life possible and above all for them to be together again. Riaan has been doing his best, but has also realized that he will need financial assistance to make this happen. To do this he needs help to get this financial burden off his shoulders. Unfortunately, he does not have the security needed to find financial support from a bank or private lender to help pay for the family relocation and unification.

The family intend to travel to Canada by the end of November 2023 to reunite and move forward with their new life, at which point it will have been 19 months since they were last all together.

Our campaign goal is $40 000. This will be used in the following ways:

• Immigration fees for the family,

• Government administration & legal fees for the family relocation,

• Flight tickets x3 and travel costs to get the family to Canada.

Thank you for reading Riaan’s story. We appreciate any help or contribution, no matter how big or small.

If possible please share our campaign link on social media, Facebook; Instagram; WhatsApp etc.

We will keep the page updated on the progress made in the reunification and relocation process.