Healing for Henri and his family
Donation protected
"Henri"* and his wife and three young daughters were recently reunited in their West African country after a separation of 3 years. Their ordeal began when Henri, a devout Catholic, joined with members of their church in a peaceful protest, his first ever. He was beaten and gassed, knocked unconscious, and awoke in a notorious prison and was tortured until he escaped and fled the country, forced to leave his family behind. Henri (who speaks a tribal language and limited French), traveled by boat to South America and for months over land to the US border, enduring extreme danger and hardship en route.
Henri had been held in a San Diego immigration prison for 18 months when Jeff and I began meeting with him weekly in October, 2019. His "crime" was having lawfully presented himself at the US border to apply for asylum, based upon credible and well-substantiated fear of persecution and death in his country of origin. We came to love and admire Henri for his soft-spoken dignity, his intellect, and his unfailing drive to persevere, and worked with his pro bono attorneys to gain his release, planning to host him in our home until he got on his feet in the US.
Henri was deported back to his country in September, despite the extensive legal efforts to support his asylum case. We feared he would be killed upon arrival, but while received to discover that the political situation is less dangerous than 3 years ago, his family has suffered in his absence, including not being able to afford to send the girls to school. There is massive unemployment, and Henri has not been able to find a job, despite being a high school graduate and conscientious worker.
Henri has developed a plan for starting a small business in a different city, where the costs of living are lower. He will purchase clothing wholesale and transport it to another region for resale. To start the business, he estimates he needs $1500. USD.
Jeff and I have committed to funding the tuitions of his bright young girls for as long as they need. Please join us in contributing to Henri 's business launch, as well - to serve as partial reparations for all that has been taken from him and his family.
*Name changed for safety purposes
Henri had been held in a San Diego immigration prison for 18 months when Jeff and I began meeting with him weekly in October, 2019. His "crime" was having lawfully presented himself at the US border to apply for asylum, based upon credible and well-substantiated fear of persecution and death in his country of origin. We came to love and admire Henri for his soft-spoken dignity, his intellect, and his unfailing drive to persevere, and worked with his pro bono attorneys to gain his release, planning to host him in our home until he got on his feet in the US.
Henri was deported back to his country in September, despite the extensive legal efforts to support his asylum case. We feared he would be killed upon arrival, but while received to discover that the political situation is less dangerous than 3 years ago, his family has suffered in his absence, including not being able to afford to send the girls to school. There is massive unemployment, and Henri has not been able to find a job, despite being a high school graduate and conscientious worker.
Henri has developed a plan for starting a small business in a different city, where the costs of living are lower. He will purchase clothing wholesale and transport it to another region for resale. To start the business, he estimates he needs $1500. USD.
Jeff and I have committed to funding the tuitions of his bright young girls for as long as they need. Please join us in contributing to Henri 's business launch, as well - to serve as partial reparations for all that has been taken from him and his family.
*Name changed for safety purposes
Organizer
Nina Douglass
Organizer
Chula Vista, CA
