A New Life for a Refugee Family
Donation protected
Hi, I'm Nikki Rodney and I live nextdoor to the Esmail family. The Esmails arrived in the US from Ethiopia, where they were for almost four years. The family is originally from Yemen, but they left for Ethiopia during the war. In the picure you can see Bedewya (mom), left, Ola (oldest daughter, 16), Ebrahim (only son, 9), Abdullah holding Rhegheud (2), Hanan (12) and Alyia (13), right.
My husband Mark and I were excited when they moved in. Mark lived in Yemen and speaks fluent Arabic. We expected they would have a lot of needs and we were ready to be their primary support system.
A few days after they moved in, their daughter Hanan (seen above in the striped shirt) was admitted to the hospital due to complications arising from her sickle cell disease. Rhegheud, the toddler of the Esmail family, also suffers from sickel cell disease. Hanan, who they affecitonately call "Nany" was in the hospital for nearly a month, during which time she suffered from a stroke and received blood transufion after blood transfusion. Nany's health is continaully monitored because it changes quickly and severely: one afternoon she is able to stand up on her own, then at night her father Abdullah is knocking on our door while holding her, flaccid, in his arms, asking for a ride to the hospital. Her health issues are preventing them from getting ahead financially.
Last week, Abdullah came to Mark complaining of chest pain. Mark took him to the ER, where they told him he suffered a heart attack and could have lost his life. This was a huge shock to the family who were already struggling to assimilate amidst protracted hospital stays with Nany. We all believe the stress of migrating and supporting his daughter through her own illness have contributed to his condition.
I am raising this money directly for the Esmail family. Mark and I are here for emotional, logistical and financial support, but we only have so much to give. Abduallah hoped to have a job by now, but his heart attack has slowed the process down. Bedewya wants to work, but is realistic about how much time she spends caring for Nany who splits her time between the hospital, school, and being home from school sick. This family will succeed here in the US, but they are in a rocky moment and they need help.
Mark and I both think that supporting them, even with $1, would be worth the whole world to them. Mark worked with refugees for many years. He knows that the immaterical support matters more than the material support. I want to collect this money for them so I can say ____ number of people care that your family is suffering. _____ number of people want you to feel at home in the US. _____ number of people are willing to share their own livelihood because they want you to succeed.
Our fundraising goal is a rough calculation of their most basic needs, including bills and basic items to get themselves off the ground like school supplies. It will help them buy a car, which they will depend on to make sure Nany has transportation when she needs it. While other family members can take the bus, Nany spends much of her life actually being carried around by her parents and sisters due to weakness. I have seem them carry her to and from the bathroom, to and from her bed, outside so she can see the sun for as long as they can hold her. While many refugee families can depend on the bus or train, the Esmails are a family that need a car.
The total also includes fees for services that will enahnce their lives, like English classes, tutors for the children, sports memberships, pre-school for sweet Rhegheud, et cetera.
Thank you for reading this. The Esmails are just one family in a large population of displaces people throughout the world. I often feel my heart breaking when reading the news of Syria, Yemem, Congo or other war-torn countries. I often feel like I want to show that I care but I don't know how. If you join me in these feelings, know that even $1 will go a long way towards directly benefiting the lives of one refugee family who are struggling in the early stages of migration. The help they receive, I believe, will give them confidence that they will be able to get their family off the ground, and that they have not been forgotten.
Thank you so much.
To answer the questons of Go Fund me Management:
1. Who you are and where you’re from
I am Nikki Rodney. I am from Cleveland.
2. Your relationship with the parties for whom you are raising funds and your method of contact with them
The Esmail family are our nextdoor neighbors. We mentor them and have adopted them as family. Our contact with them is face to face, we see them every day and we share meals with them regularly.
3. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible)
Our fundraising goal is a rough calculation of their most basic needs, including bills and basic items to get themselves off the ground like school supplies. It will help them buy a car. This is how the funds will be spent.
4. Your specific plan for how the funds will be withdrawn from and sent to the beneficiary of the campaign
We have been working on setting up a bank account for Abdullah. His refugee resettlement agency is also working on this. But with his health issues and Nany's bringing him to the hospital so frequently, and since he doesn't have a job right now and therefore no real need for a bank account, it has not been a priority for him to find a bank. Until he gets an account set up, the funds will go into the Rodney family bank account and given directly to Abdullah.
My husband Mark and I were excited when they moved in. Mark lived in Yemen and speaks fluent Arabic. We expected they would have a lot of needs and we were ready to be their primary support system.
A few days after they moved in, their daughter Hanan (seen above in the striped shirt) was admitted to the hospital due to complications arising from her sickle cell disease. Rhegheud, the toddler of the Esmail family, also suffers from sickel cell disease. Hanan, who they affecitonately call "Nany" was in the hospital for nearly a month, during which time she suffered from a stroke and received blood transufion after blood transfusion. Nany's health is continaully monitored because it changes quickly and severely: one afternoon she is able to stand up on her own, then at night her father Abdullah is knocking on our door while holding her, flaccid, in his arms, asking for a ride to the hospital. Her health issues are preventing them from getting ahead financially.
Last week, Abdullah came to Mark complaining of chest pain. Mark took him to the ER, where they told him he suffered a heart attack and could have lost his life. This was a huge shock to the family who were already struggling to assimilate amidst protracted hospital stays with Nany. We all believe the stress of migrating and supporting his daughter through her own illness have contributed to his condition.
I am raising this money directly for the Esmail family. Mark and I are here for emotional, logistical and financial support, but we only have so much to give. Abduallah hoped to have a job by now, but his heart attack has slowed the process down. Bedewya wants to work, but is realistic about how much time she spends caring for Nany who splits her time between the hospital, school, and being home from school sick. This family will succeed here in the US, but they are in a rocky moment and they need help.
Mark and I both think that supporting them, even with $1, would be worth the whole world to them. Mark worked with refugees for many years. He knows that the immaterical support matters more than the material support. I want to collect this money for them so I can say ____ number of people care that your family is suffering. _____ number of people want you to feel at home in the US. _____ number of people are willing to share their own livelihood because they want you to succeed.
Our fundraising goal is a rough calculation of their most basic needs, including bills and basic items to get themselves off the ground like school supplies. It will help them buy a car, which they will depend on to make sure Nany has transportation when she needs it. While other family members can take the bus, Nany spends much of her life actually being carried around by her parents and sisters due to weakness. I have seem them carry her to and from the bathroom, to and from her bed, outside so she can see the sun for as long as they can hold her. While many refugee families can depend on the bus or train, the Esmails are a family that need a car.
The total also includes fees for services that will enahnce their lives, like English classes, tutors for the children, sports memberships, pre-school for sweet Rhegheud, et cetera.
Thank you for reading this. The Esmails are just one family in a large population of displaces people throughout the world. I often feel my heart breaking when reading the news of Syria, Yemem, Congo or other war-torn countries. I often feel like I want to show that I care but I don't know how. If you join me in these feelings, know that even $1 will go a long way towards directly benefiting the lives of one refugee family who are struggling in the early stages of migration. The help they receive, I believe, will give them confidence that they will be able to get their family off the ground, and that they have not been forgotten.
Thank you so much.
To answer the questons of Go Fund me Management:
1. Who you are and where you’re from
I am Nikki Rodney. I am from Cleveland.
2. Your relationship with the parties for whom you are raising funds and your method of contact with them
The Esmail family are our nextdoor neighbors. We mentor them and have adopted them as family. Our contact with them is face to face, we see them every day and we share meals with them regularly.
3. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible)
Our fundraising goal is a rough calculation of their most basic needs, including bills and basic items to get themselves off the ground like school supplies. It will help them buy a car. This is how the funds will be spent.
4. Your specific plan for how the funds will be withdrawn from and sent to the beneficiary of the campaign
We have been working on setting up a bank account for Abdullah. His refugee resettlement agency is also working on this. But with his health issues and Nany's bringing him to the hospital so frequently, and since he doesn't have a job right now and therefore no real need for a bank account, it has not been a priority for him to find a bank. Until he gets an account set up, the funds will go into the Rodney family bank account and given directly to Abdullah.
Organizer
Nicole Rodney
Organizer
Cleveland, OH