Donate to Julia & Family, in Memory of Papa Joe

Hi, my name is Chrystina and I'm fundraising for Julia Oduol and family. Julia is a brilliant, powerful, and fierce advocate for the displaced, with a bachelor's degree from Southern New Hampshire University, a current online Master's scholarship at Regis University, and a fellowship at Oxford Refugee Studies Centre. A HUGE component of Julia's success was her husband, fondly known as "Papa Joe," who sadly and unexpectedly passed after battling long-term COVID impacts in August 2022.

Despite Julia's impressive accomplishments, her journey has required triple the effort of most, given that she is displaced herself, currently living in South Africa. Tasks such as securing housing, determining and enrolling her son in school, and putting food on the table have required superhuman efforts.

Through these challenges, as Julia's spouse, Papa Joe was the ultimate women's rights activist in action. He teamed with Julia on every challenge, working himself, and unapologetically supporting her educational journey, her rising status in the field of serving displaced individuals, and her increasing responsibilities as a humanitarian. While many female leaders are left to handle the complexities of shifting gender roles in their lives alone, Papa Joe readily embraced Julia's rising status and took pride in teaming with her in support of a rapidly growing career, no matter what household duty it meant he needed to perform. No one was prouder of Julia's growing voice for the displaced than her husband; he loved watching her in the spotlight.

In the face of Papa Joe's loss, Julia's promising future as a leader serving the displaced is perilous. Unfortunately, the contract for her previous position was not renewed, and she is navigating landing her next role with the heavy trials and tribulations of finding work as a foreigner and displaced person. School fees, rent, and food costs loom overhead and threaten the time required for her fellowship and degree. Without the support of Papa Joe, this rising star for human rights may have her journey delayed at best and ended at worst.

We sadly can't bring Papa Joe back. Still, we can fill his big shoes by supporting Julia through this pivotal moment in building her leadership as one of the world's most promising humanitarian problem solvers.

Please join me in supporting Julia by helping her through the unexpected loss of her wonderful husband. He was deeply committed to doing anything needed to ensure Julia's strong voice would be heard in the humanitarian field. Your funds will be used to assist with items the displaced have no insurance or rights to, including funeral fees, school fees, food, transportation for her son, and searching for her next job.