Main fundraiser photo

https://www.ads-up.org/canada-donate

Donation protected
The Fund-raising for Kamran is now Complete. Thank you!
To help others reach safety in Canada, please go to 
https://www.ads-up.org/canada-donate 

Kamran’s refugee sponsorship to Canada | LGBT+ Iranian man, Manus Island

Please help us sponsor Kamran, a gay Iranian refugee who fled blackmailers who threatened to “out” him in Iran only to be held in detention by the Australian government for six years on Manus Island. 

He’s university educated in web development, has been teaching computer skills to fellow refugees on Manus Island, and aspires to continue his career in Canada. 

We’re raising money to support his application for private sponsorship in Canada, for which the Canadian government requires $18,000 CAD to support resettlement costs. 

Please contribute now and help Kamran escape to a new life in Canada. Please share this fundraiser with your social networks. 

Kamran’s story

Kamran, a software engineer in his 30s, was forced to flee his home, his family and his life in Tehran, Iran. He fled after being blackmailed by friends of his ex-partner. 

They threatened to ‘out’ him to the religious police if he did not pay increasing bribes. Unable to continue paying the blackmailers, Kamran was forced to flee the country.

He has reason to believe that the authorities were investigating him, and cannot return to Iran due to fear of being found out for his homosexuality, a crime punishable by imprisonment, corporal punishment or execution in Iran. 

For the past six years, Kamran has been stranded on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, as part of the Australian government’s refugee deterrence policy. He has been assessed as a valid refugee and it is unlawful for Australia to return him to face persecution in Iran, but because he arrived by boat, Australia refuses to resettle him -- instead leaving him stranded indefinitely on Manus. 

The conditions on Manus are horrific; the United Nations has determined that the situation is dangerous, and that the physical and mental health of the men there is deteriorating with ongoing violence and daily incidents of self-harm. According to PEN International, "Manus Island has become notorious for its ill-treatment of detainees where violence, sexual abuse and self-harm are reportedly common". 

Kamran’s name has been altered to protect his safety.

Life on Manus

Despite the horrific conditions, Kamran is known by fellow detainees to be a respectful, calm, polite and resilient person. During his 6 years’ detainment on Manus Island, he has continued to stay productive. He furthered his studies by self-teaching web development from the internet. He states that he desires to be a productive and useful member of Canadian society.

Approximately 2 months ago Kamran was medically evacuated to an immigration detention medical facility in mainland Australia. Despite being in Australia, Kamran is not allowed to lodge a claim of asylum in that country. He remains in indefinite detention, with no foreseeable future, outside of the detention system. After years of detention, he has no hope of ever getting out.

A New Start

We need to get Kamran to a new country where he can be free and safe and can begin a new life. He has university level education in software engineering, and is very motivated to further his English skills, and develop a career and a life in Canada. We want to bring him to Canada under the government’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees  program.

Before we can submit an application, we need to confirm to the Canadian government that we have funds to support Kamran’s first 12 months of life in Canada  (CAD$16,500 = AUD$17,340 = USD$12,600) and that we have a group of Canadian and Australian sponsors willing to help Kamran settle into his new life here.

Your donation will contribute to Kamran’s living expenses for the first year. These include:

·      $13,200 for 12 months of income

·      $3,300 for startup costs

The 12 months’ income will go towards Kamran’s first year of living expenses, such as housing, food, clothing and transport. The startup costs go towards a one-time payment for expenses such as winter clothing, household items, furniture, linens, and rent deposits. We are aiming for $18,000 in fundraising, with a small margin for unexpected costs. 

As money is donated, I will transfer it in full from my account to be held in trust in a secure bank account managed by Community Matters Toronto, a registered charity that will also serve as Kamran’s official sponsor. When Kamran arrives, the money will be disbursed by Community Matters Toronto, under guidelines laid out by the Canadian government. 

Who Are We?

We are part of a group of committed volunteers who are ready and excited to help Kamran start a new life. We belong to Ads-Up (Australian Diaspora Steps Up), a network of Australian expatriates who believe that the conditions of indefinite detention on Manus Island and Nauru, and on the mainland, go against Australian principles of fairness and decency. All based in Toronto, our circle includes Juliet Donald, Eileen Pyne Rudzik and other Toronto residents. 

We have our sponsorship group in place, and we now just need the necessary funds. As soon as we have raised this money and it is in the secure bank account managed by Community Matters Toronto (who will oversee the application), we can submit the paperwork and start the formal process of getting Kamran out of detention and out of danger.

We Need Your Help

If you can help, please click on the “Donate” button. As your donations come in, we will transfer these funds my from account registered with Go Fund Me to Community Matters, who will hold the money until we reach the target.

When Kamran arrives, the money will be disbursed under guidelines laid out by the Canadian government. Start-up funds are given on arrival in Canada and the living expenses are distributed to him on a monthly basis.

Every dollar brings us one step toward bringing this kind and educated man to a new start in a country he is looking forward to calling his home. Please help us bring Kamran here today.

Thank you for your support. And help spread the word by sharing this post!

(Donors may be added to the Ads-Up Refugee Network mailing list, from which they can opt out at any time).
Donate

Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $100 
    • 4 yrs
  • Nauru and PNG refugee support group
    • $4,500 (Offline)
    • 4 yrs
  • Rachel McNeil
    • $3,484 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Rural Australians for Refugees
    • $2,640 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Juliet Donald
Organizer
Toronto, ON

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.