Help Us Help a Gay Refugee from Africa

UPDATE 8/21/22: Our GoFundMe campaign was suspended today as Simon moves to the next stage of his new life in Canada. See today's update below for details.

Greetings from Giacomo Sanfilippo, founding editor of Orthodoxy in Dialogue, most known globally for our LGBTQ advocacy in the Orthodox Church.

Please consider helping Simon (not his real name; not him in the photo), a gay refugee from one of Africa’s most dangerous countries for LGBTQI+ citizens, as he crafts a new life for himself in Canada.

Canada is one of the world’s most welcoming countries for LGBTQI+ refugees.

Simon is scheduled to arrive at my apartment during the first week of August. I’m providing him rent-free temporary shelter in my home, mentoring, accompaniment to immigration-related and other appointments, and additional assistance as needed while he works his way through the process of receiving his work permit, health card, and permanent residency.

I do not, however, have the resources to support him financially. He’s coming with some funds of his own, but not nearly enough to survive for long in Canada’s economy. This is where you come in.

Initially, I need help setting up a corner of the living room as a comfortable space for Simon to have his bed and work station. He’s going to need nutritious meals, a monthly transit pass, and —before we know it — winter clothes. He’ll need money to get out and about socially as I introduce him to my friends within and outside Toronto’s vibrant gay community. In short, I want to give him as normal a life as possible from the day he arrives. I can’t do it alone.

The reason for setting a relatively high $10,000 goal for our GoFundMe is to provide first-and-last month’s rent and furnishings for his own apartment once he gets on his feet with gainful employment. The sooner he becomes independent, the sooner he flourishes in his adopted country.

At 30, Simon is an ambitious, hardworking young man with dreams to achieve. These include getting his BA and MSW, and working as a social worker in some sector of Toronto’s LGBTQI+ community. Once he’s safely on Canadian soil and obtains legal status here, we’ll share pics and introduce you to him by name.

Be part of the dream!