Donate to help refugee family seeking safety

Hello and thanks for visiting. We are seeking donations for this family who will be left unnamed until they are safe on US soil. $3500 is needed to get them here (Physicals, passports, travel expenses). Money for this gofundme is going to Mike's bank account. Mike has been financing their lives for years especially after a devastating earthquake last year where they were at. Mike has been paying their rent since the earthquake.

Any additional money will be used to get them established here (transportation to a job, backpacks, housewares).

THE STORY:

Let me tell you a sad story with an imminently happy ending. This is a story that I've been involved in to a small degree for a few years --so it is dear to my heart. I am intentionally keeping the details of this story vague out of need to protect people who are still in very real danger:

My friend Mike served as a medic in the army in Iraq 19 years ago. He needed translators in order to do his job. So the US told locals that if they served as translators that America would protect them and their families from the guaranteed threat to their lives by the "bad guys". Mike worked with these translators and they became good friends. When he left they stayed in touch. But these translators and their families were hunted down and killed by the bad guys. Mike, of course, was devastated and so frustrated that the United States did not fulfill their obligation to protect them.

One friend/translator remains. Let's call him John. He has been hunted for the past 19 years. John's mother's home was shot up by the bad guys a year ago when his brother was mistakenly identified as him. He has been hiding in a neighboring country for 10 years now trying to get the US to honor the promise of a special immigrant visa. But even there he is not safe. His children have known nothing except fear and hiding their entire lives. As Mike says, "Brothers don't leave brothers behind". He has been trying to help get them out for all these years.

Thanks to hired people sneaking back into Iraq for birth certificates, Oregon State Representative Bentz and lots of small private donors and MOSTLY Mike, John's family of 4 were approved for Visa's this week! Mike told me that John and family jumped and danced for joy when they found out. The number of hoops to jump through for this to happen is/was obscene! Most of these hoops are expensive too.

This family will most likely be here in the USA in a month from now but there is $3500+ needed to get them here. Once here, they will live with Mike and his family while they get adjusted to freedom/safety/USA and then the plan is eventually they will move next door to me. They will arrive with just clothing and a few momentos so they will need everything. So, it goes without saying that their financial need to get started here will also be great. Please consider donating to their travel expenses and expenses for setting up a home. Every little bit helps. Thanks for reading.