This is a fundraiser set up by myself (Noa) and Damien for our best friend Rune, a mixed race trans woman who is in the process of moving out of the US for her physical and mental safety given the current political climate and her immediate living situation becoming untenable.

After a relationship breakdown and things socially, medically and politically becoming more dangerous just to exist as a visibly mixed trans woman, Rune is aiming to move from Hawaii to New Zealand with the intention of starting out on a Working Holiday Visa then transferring to a standard work visa and using that as a path towards residency.

While the timeline of saving up money originally looked longer, given recent events there is now more urgency on getting out of the country, meaning Rune no longer has time nor the access to sustainable work to accrue needed funds.

This has taken a major toll on our friend mentally, and that in combination with traumas she has experienced recently has pushed us to set up this fundraiser to support her.

Rune is someone who has helped keep Damien housed and fed in the past with the support she has given him, and multiple times has been what stood between himself and homelessness, and I know we are not the only ones who she has given this level of support to, so while we can’t do the same for her out of our own pocket we can extend the request to community to come together to help her.

There are flights booked, however for proof of finances for her visa and for admin costs, pre-work medical checks and for money to support herself when she first gets here she does need help.

The amount required for WHV proof of funds is $4200 NZD or around $2450 USD / 2100€ and while raising that whole amount would be amazing, even several hundred towards that would be incredibly helpful.

I know finances are tight for most people right now so even a few dollars or just sharing helps a lot.

Rune is someone who deserves to thrive, to be able to heal and to be able to be safe.

She is, as we said, our best friend; someone we cannot bear to lose or see hurt more than she has been.

We just want help getting her here with us to her new home.

Thank you for reading,

Damien and Noa

(For the sake of transparency all funds will go to my (Noa) bank account first before being transferred directly to Rune. That is also the reason why the GoFundMe is set up with Euros instead of Dollar since my bank account is German.)