Help Gay Asylum Seeker With His Medical Expense
My name is Muhammad Salman Khan and I'm an LGBT activist based in Worcester, MA who is helping out Michel Nfundiko. I'm doing this fundraising on behalf of Michel Nfundiko, who is a Black gay asylum seeker living in the USA from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Michel has seen black people being victims of racial discrimination and police violence for many years here in the USA, from Rodney King in 1991 to George Floyd. He has been a victim of police violence as well as discrimination for being gay himself in his home country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC Congo) in Africa. He has been arrested, tortured, and humiliated by the police and secret services just for being gay and targeted for his activism for the rights, equality, and justice of sexual minorities LGBT in his country.
Therefore, he can relate to what the African American community is going through here in the USA with rising racial injustice in the country, he supports all the protesters today that express their frustrations and call for change and justice.
Michel came here into the USA on April 2019 as an LGBT Rights activist to attend the Global Innovative Advocacy Summit organized by HRC (Human Rights Campaign) but unfortunately, he didn't return to his home country due to the serious threats against his life fro participating in the conference by Congolese state agents who were already monitoring his activities.
So, after 11 months in the USA, he filed for asylum by the beginning of April but before obtaining the work permit, he must wait 150 days for the request and 60 days for the processing of the request. So, in total 7 months. During all this time Michel can't work therefore he doesn’t have any means to pay rent and take care of himself. And you know how life is tough these times! So imagine someone that can’t even work how will he survive? You can see the scan pictures of copies of the acknowledgment of receipt(NOTICE OF ACTION I-797)that the USCIS sent him. He has marked out some details on this scan copies for security reason but it's the official acknowledgement of receipt from USCIS.
The COVID-19 crisis has made things worse because a friend that used to help him lost his jobs can’t help him anymore. All the LGBT organizations that Michel had contacted in DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) just can't assist him with housing right now. Even though Michel has gone through a lot of injustice, discrimination, oppression and inhuman torture in his country just for his sexual identity, he has always fought to help others, but today he feels helpless and weak faced to this very difficult situation he is currently going through and he needs your help, please!
I make a cry of distress to all those who stand for social justice, equity, and equality to help Michel Nfundiko by donating today, I know that these are hard times, but if you can find in your heart, please donate what you can and share this fundraising to help Michel Nfundiko. These $10,000 funds will help him pay the apartment rent, utilities, and bills for the next 8 months during the waiting time to apply for and obtain a work permit as well as the time to find a job. Those funds will also help him pay for food, transportation, medical care, and fees for English lessons to improve his spoken and written English and also computer training that will allow him to have a job afterward.
Michel will be grateful for your help and I will keep you updated on all steps of his asylum application process. And all the funds raised will go to my bank account as Michel is undocumented with no social security number and therefore can’t open a bank account. And therefore, all the funds will be used from my account to pay for his apartment rent, utilities, bills, medical care, foods, and transportation. If you have any question about Michel asylum application process you can reach him at his email address: [email redacted].
