#HelpTinaK reunite with her family!
Donation protected
Help Tina see her parents and brothers for the first time since 1993!
In December 2016, Tina Kanyeba, along with her husband, Willy Chibangu and their seven children arrived in the United States from a refugee camp in Namibia. They had escaped horrific experiences in their home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 6 years earlier. We came to know Tina, Willy and their family as mentors with Catholic Community Services (a refugee resettlement agency). We have been touched by their courage and resilience as they have shared their stories with us. Despite their experiences, they are loving and happy people.
One of the most touching experiences has been to see Tina reconnect with her parents and brothers. As a 12 year old in 1993, she came home from school to find her home destroyed and her family gone! She was taken in by a local pastor and assumed for the next 24 years that her family was dead. When she arrived in the United States in 2016 and joined Facebook, a miracle occurred! She learned that her parents and brothers were alive and living in Canada. They have communicated frequently over the internet but desperately want to see each other in person!
Along with other friends, we have assisted Tina and Willy and the children to get their green cards. Once they have Refugee Travel Permits, they can travel over the border to Canada for a very overdue reunion. As you can imagine, this won't be a cheap trip for a family of 9 (soon to be 10 as Tina is expecting another little boy this summer). They are working to support their family and to establish themselves here in Utah, but there are not extra funds for travel. This is where we can use your help! Any amount will help make this reunion a reality!
*** Update: Some have wondered why $10,000 ***
Here's how we came up with that for a trip of a family of 10. This assumes a 10 day trip: 2 days driving each way, about 1 week with Tina's parents.
12 passenger rental van and insurance: $250/day = $2,500 (Tina's family does not own a vehicle that fits their entire family and can make the drive)
Immigration attorney and possible refugee travel documents (in addition to green cards): $2,000
VRBO / Home Away rental: 7 nights @ $250/night = $1,500
Hotel nights while driving: 2 nights w/ 2 hotel rooms/night @ $125/room/night = $500
Gas: 3,000 miles @ $0.35/mile = $1,050
Meals: 10 days @ $70/day = $700
Lost wages for unpaid time off work for Tina & Willy: $2,500
Incidental costs: $500
Total Estimate: $11,250
Also, note that US immigration law makes it essentially impossible for her parents to travel to the US since they do not have passports. They are also about 70 years old, so travel may be rather difficult.
If somehow there is money leftover, they have other needs, such as continuing to pay back their debt for airline tickets from Africa to the USA (https://www.newsweek.com/brief-history-refugees-paying-back-us-government-their-travel-403241).
In December 2016, Tina Kanyeba, along with her husband, Willy Chibangu and their seven children arrived in the United States from a refugee camp in Namibia. They had escaped horrific experiences in their home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 6 years earlier. We came to know Tina, Willy and their family as mentors with Catholic Community Services (a refugee resettlement agency). We have been touched by their courage and resilience as they have shared their stories with us. Despite their experiences, they are loving and happy people.
One of the most touching experiences has been to see Tina reconnect with her parents and brothers. As a 12 year old in 1993, she came home from school to find her home destroyed and her family gone! She was taken in by a local pastor and assumed for the next 24 years that her family was dead. When she arrived in the United States in 2016 and joined Facebook, a miracle occurred! She learned that her parents and brothers were alive and living in Canada. They have communicated frequently over the internet but desperately want to see each other in person!
Along with other friends, we have assisted Tina and Willy and the children to get their green cards. Once they have Refugee Travel Permits, they can travel over the border to Canada for a very overdue reunion. As you can imagine, this won't be a cheap trip for a family of 9 (soon to be 10 as Tina is expecting another little boy this summer). They are working to support their family and to establish themselves here in Utah, but there are not extra funds for travel. This is where we can use your help! Any amount will help make this reunion a reality!
*** Update: Some have wondered why $10,000 ***
Here's how we came up with that for a trip of a family of 10. This assumes a 10 day trip: 2 days driving each way, about 1 week with Tina's parents.
12 passenger rental van and insurance: $250/day = $2,500 (Tina's family does not own a vehicle that fits their entire family and can make the drive)
Immigration attorney and possible refugee travel documents (in addition to green cards): $2,000
VRBO / Home Away rental: 7 nights @ $250/night = $1,500
Hotel nights while driving: 2 nights w/ 2 hotel rooms/night @ $125/room/night = $500
Gas: 3,000 miles @ $0.35/mile = $1,050
Meals: 10 days @ $70/day = $700
Lost wages for unpaid time off work for Tina & Willy: $2,500
Incidental costs: $500
Total Estimate: $11,250
Also, note that US immigration law makes it essentially impossible for her parents to travel to the US since they do not have passports. They are also about 70 years old, so travel may be rather difficult.
If somehow there is money leftover, they have other needs, such as continuing to pay back their debt for airline tickets from Africa to the USA (https://www.newsweek.com/brief-history-refugees-paying-back-us-government-their-travel-403241).
Organizer and beneficiary
Marinda Casaday Wessman
Organizer
Herriman, UT
Willy Chibangu
Beneficiary
