Who We are:

Hi, if you're reading this, you probably follow me on Instagram but for everyone else- my name is Johnice. My husband Andrew and I are sponsoring a family of four from Haiti as they navigate the refugee resettlement process from Haiti to New Orleans, Louisiana. We would greatly appreciate the help as they are starting a new life here and arriving in less than two weeks with only two suitcases.

We have already purchased their plane tickets and hope to raise enough money for 6 months rent and home furnishings. We as New Orleanians can empathize with having to leave your home and start over with nothing. The family has endured a lot of trauma at the hands of Haitian gangs, and we would love to show them how wide the arms of this community can be! Any contribution you can make (even if it's just sharing this fund) is greatly appreciated.

Backstory:

After the Haitian earthquake in 2010, my uncle Scott, a NICU nurse (of almost 40 years!!!), traveled to Haiti as a medical relief worker. It was there he made a deep friendship with his interpreter, Michel. Over the years Michel and Scott have remained close, and Scott went back to visit several times and has been financially supporting Michel to improve his safety for years.

Since he and Scott's meeting, Michel has married and had two children who are now 7 and 9. Michel & his wife Roseline lost their homes, and many loved ones in the Haitian earthquake and have overcome many challenges to keep their family safe since then. Recently, when a new avenue for immigration opened for four countries experiencing turmoil, Michel started to look for a way out and his first contact was Scott. Since Scott is a travel nurse who spends more than 6 months of the year outside the US, he was ineligible for sponsorship. That's where I came in. Scott has always been a trusted confidant in my life and anyone who is important to him is important to me. When Scott said Michel is a brother to him, that's all I needed to know.

An Important Note:

The conditions in Haiti have become so dangerous over the past few years (you can read about it here on Wikipedia) that Michel and his family have been forced to live behind barbed-wired walls and stop attending school and church. We are anxious every day they are in Haiti and cannot wait until they are safe on American soil. Because of the current conditions, we have changed their names for safety and will not divulge their travel details, but they arrive SOON!

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Below you can see Scott, my amazing uncle, working in a Haitian hospital in 2011, and a picture of me and my husband, Andrew and two kids.

Thank you so much for all of your support. The community y'all have formed around me on instgram means so much to me and I am so appreciative for your and your networks' support on this,

Always,

Johnice

Scott in Haiti

Me, my husband Andrew and our two kids