My sister Robe Ayana and her two-year old twin sons are refugees from Ethiopia who live in Nairobi, Kenya. Robe has been living there for over 6 years. In 2013, she married an Ethiopian refugee, Chali Kalbessa, who was also living in Nairobi. He was resettled in Canada in August, 2014. Robe did not consent to his resettlement as she was expecting twins who were born in October 2014. Chali promised her he would do everything he could to help her and their twin boys to resettle with him in Canada. He provided some money to Robe for about five months, but ceased any support to her after May 2015. Robe and her sons suffered with almost no money for housing or food. Meanwhile, Robe has not been able to find and contact Chali. He changed his phone number and she has no address for him.

In 2016, Robe and her sister began selling injera and coffee at a little shop in Nairobi so that they could pay for some food and housing. I have sent them some money from my earnings as a part-time nurse’s aide in a St. Paul hospital. The money Robe has helps her and her sons survive barely day to day. 

Robe knows she cannot return to Ethiopia where she fears persecution as a member of the Oromo tribe which is abused by the ruling Ethiopian tribe. She dreads sexual abuse and possible imprisonment in Ethiopia. She cannot imagine remaining in Kenya with very little support for her boys and herself. She does not want to go to Canada and continue her marriage to Chali. She wants to divorce him and be united with her brothers, Habtamu, a refugee from Ethiopia in the U.S. and myself who was a refugee but is now a U.S. Citizen.  With our help and the help of others, we believe Robe and her sons would be able to pursue their education and ways in which they could to contribute to life in the U.S. 

Robe applied for resettlement to the U.S. in 2012 and was denied resettlement in June 2016. In August, 2016, she submitted a Request for Review of the denial she had received for resettlement.  The Refugee Support Center Africa responded, telling her that her case to resettle in the U.S. was put on long-term hold pending further review.  This is a result of her marriage to a person who is not living in the U.S. 

Robe, my brother Habtamu and I believe that Robe's hope to resettle in the U.S. and be reunited with some of her family will not come true until she is divorced from her absent, completely neglectful husband. She would like to hire a lawyer in Nairobi who would handle her divorce and child custody cases. In order to hire a lawyer, Robe will need about $3,000. A Kenyan friend of mine, who is trained in the law, has offered to help Robe find a good lawyer. 

Habtamu and I are asking you if you can help Robe through your financial support. We thank you so much for any donations you can make for Robe to hire a lawyer to obtain child custody and a divorce from her husband. This will give Robe hope that one day she will be able to join her brothers in the U.S.