Dear Friends and Family,

I am making this GoFundMe on behalf of someone very dear to me, Paola, a nearly 21-year-old refugee from Peru. She fled her home due to political and familial reasons, and since arriving here she has been working hard to build a safe and stable future.

Through a fantastic program, East Village Neighbors Who Care, I am now her appointed guardian and helping her apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). If approved, it will allow her to receive a green card and become a permanent resident.

One of the biggest hurdles she faces is the cost of applying for a work permit and Social Security. This used to be free for applicants, but under a Trump Administration policy, the fee is now $600. Without this permit, Paola cannot work legally in the U.S. She is currently walking dogs to earn what she can, but it isn’t enough to cover this expense.

Despite many challenges, Paola has shown incredible resilience and determination. We’ve been working to get her free legal aid and mental health care, registered her for a GED program, practicing English, and learning how to navigate life in New York City. She dreams of going to school, studying business, and contributing to the place she now calls home. These are opportunities many of us take for granted. For Paola, they are far from guaranteed, given the difficulties that refugees face.

The most urgent need is the $600 for her work permit application. And we hope to raise more than that. Paola recently underwent emergency gallbladder surgery and now faces an additional $2,000 medical bill for the medical care she received at New York-Presbyterian Queens.

Paola is a sweet, thoughtful, and ambitious young woman who deserves the chance to live without fear and to pursue her dreams. Any amount you can contribute will help ease her path forward—whether toward her work permit, further education, or to meet medical expenses.

Thank you for considering supporting Paola in this critical moment of her life.

With gratitude,

Talula