<div>Hi friends,

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>I’ve reached an end. 

</div>

<div>My name is Rakan. Many of you know me through my art and community work. I am a Watermelon refugee currently living in Dresden, Germany. What most people don’t see is my reality, because I’ve learned to mask it well. Staying in the background often hurts less than explaining everything. And being a DJ, everyone thinks you’ve made it in life. But ppl like me don’t get to be choosy.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>People ask me where I’ve been, and I usually say I’m in Dresden, focusing on my art. The truth is harder. I’ve been struggling with my mental health for a long time, and the financial pressure has made it significantly worse. I’m usually someone who stays positive and keeps going, but right now I’m exhausted, and I don’t see a clear way out.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Being a Watermelon refugee places me in a different legal and structural position than many other refugees. Because Pal… is not formally recognized as a state by Germany, Watermelon ppl are often denied a clear, stable refugee status and the rights that come with it. This affects access to work, insurance, long-term residency security, and institutional support. My situation has been shaped by this reality from the beginning. Opportunities available to other refugee groups were often inaccessible to me, and I had to navigate a system where uncertainty was built into every step.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>When I arrived in Germany, I was placed by the authorities in a refugee camp in Dresden. Living there was harsh and destabilizing, but I worked relentlessly to move forward and build a life outside the camp system. Over the last five years, I applied for more than 50 jobs, accepted every possible gig, and did everything in my power to survive with dignity while contributing to the cultural and community life around me.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Despite these efforts, my situation has continued to deteriorate. Living in Dresden under constant legal uncertainty, combined with limited access to stable work and repeated administrative pressure, has led to accumulated debt and declining health.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>This year is different from the last. Alongside the financial collapse, I have developed chronic health conditions. My immune system has weakened significantly, and I am dealing with persistent viral infections that affect my nervous system. These are not short-term illnesses; they are conditions I will likely have to live with long-term. Managing them requires medical care and mental-health therapy, which I am increasingly unable to afford.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>What hurts me most is that I keep lying to my mother. I tell her I’m doing well. I tell her I’m working, that I’m stable, that I’m sending money. None of that is true. I am far away from her; from her touch, her presence, her care. Watching her grow older from a distance, knowing I can’t be there for her, feels like being uprooted again and again. That separation has been one of the heaviest parts of this journey.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>At this moment, the reality is binary:

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Either I raise €25,000 to settle my accumulated obligations, or I will lose my legal footing in Germany and be forced to return to a refugee camp in Lebanon.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>This amount reflects existing, documented debt that continues to grow monthly due to penalties, restricted banking access, and lack of institutional protection.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Breakdown of the €30,000

</div>

<div>•	€10,200 — accumulated legal and administrative debt related to residency and ongoing procedures

</div>

<div>•	€2,600 — unpaid statutory health insurance contributions (I am currently uninsured)

</div>

<div>•	€2,100 — outstanding apartment-related fees in Dresden

</div>

<div>•	Approximately €9,000 — additional debt accumulated since April 2024 (around €1,000 per month), including legal representation costs and mental-health therapy necessary to remain functional under prolonged legal and financial pressure

</div>

<div>Extra costs for GoFundMe Hidden Costs and transaction fees 
</div>

<div>Total: €28,900, with the remaining amount accounting for ongoing penalties and immediate stabilization needs.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Previous fundraisers helped me survive they allowed me to keep my apartment and avoid immediate homelessness; but they did not resolve the structural debt. I have now reached the point where nothing more can be deferred.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Asking for help again is deeply painful. I am aware that I have asked before, and I do not take that lightly. This is not about funding a project or a lifestyle. It is about staying alive, staying legally present, and avoiding forced displacement.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>I’m praying a 1000 persons contribute a 25€ to reach this goal.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>If you are able to contribute or share this with someone who might be able to help, it would make a concrete and immediate difference. Transparency matters to me, and documentation can be provided upon request.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Thank you for taking the time to read this.

</div>

<div>Thank you to everyone who has stood by me before, and to anyone who chooses to stand with me now.

</div>

<div><br />

</div>

<div>Rakan

</div>

Giuseppe Lo Schiavo

Lorenzo Danet

Olivia Mendez

Anonymous

Vladislav Lyssenko

Amber Grant

Josef Sühr

Ragaa Sabbagh

Valentina Magno

Huong Tran

Pedro Nicolau

Bora Kalo Räther

Ramsey Nassar

Sara Cochran

Sebastiaan Schoevaars

Either I Pay My Debts,  or I Leave Germany.

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

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partnerId

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npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Either I Pay My Debts, or I Leave Germany.

Still €1,530 to go. Help us build momentum.