Bring Mary and the Twins Home
Donation protected
Meet my 21 month old twins, Zhena and Zali. We’re stranded in Bali, Indonesia, and we urgently need your help to get home to Canada. For the past year, I’ve been struggling to end my abusive marriage and to obtain full custody of my two children. It took over a year of hell and several beatings to work up the courage to take legal action. After a drawn-out court process I was successfully granted full custody of Zhena and Zali. This is a tremendous victory. However, the cost of navigating the Indonesian court system has eaten-up what small savings we had. I’m currently securing temporary Canadian Passports for the twins but I don’t have the funds to fly us all home to Nova Scotia. I need to get my twins home to my family, before they turn two, where we’ll all be safe and happy. They turn two at the end of March. This is why we desperately need your help.
Backstory
I’m currently living in Bali. I fell in love and married an Indonesian man. Shortly after Zhena and Zali were born is when the abuse began. My marriage became a violent nightmare. He beat me, physically and mentally; he cheated on us with a 20 year old women. Since the birth of the twins he hasn't financially supported us, nor his family. Family and friends back home have helped where they could but I’ve still had to resort to working three jobs just to keep us afloat and pay all the legal fees.
After a year of hellish mental and physical abuse I worked up the courage to leave. I spent five months in a protracted court battle against the father and to win custody of Al-Zhena and Al Gazali. What little savings I had went into that custody battle, not to mention the divorce. This victory was bittersweet. As much as getting custody was a win, I no longer have the funds to get the twins home and I’m seriously worried for all our safety.
The current situation is that I am waiting for the temporary passports of the twins to be ready, should be a couple more weeks. The passports expire on their second birthday, March 27, 2019. Once the passports expire I’ll have to wait for their permanent passports to be processed, which takes another 12 months or more. More importantly, the twins will be two and I’ll have to pay almost full air fare for both of them.
What I need your help with is paying for plane tickets for myself and a caretaker. The reason for the caretaker is that airlines won’t allow children under two to fly without someone to hold them. I’ll also be breaking my current employment contract in order to leave the country. This adds an additional cost. I have to pay back my visa, which will cost $1000 and my housing loan, which costs $1500. My airline tickets will cost about $6000. All told, I need a minimum of $8500 Canadian dollars to get my twins home to Nova Scotia. This entire situation has been a nightmare. I’m asking for help because I’m truly desperate. Friends back home have helped me establish this go fund me campaign. The three of us will appreciate any help you can give. Also, my mother needs to meet her only grandchildren.
I also want to say a huge thank you to all the people that have helped me get this far. My main lawyers worked for Woman and Child Protection Services in the government here. Not only did they win our case but they emotionally supported me as well. I would not have made it this far without them. Raniti and Fitra are my heroes. Also, my workplace has been so supportive and everyone is so kind and caring. All my friends over here have been so supportive and have helped me to stay strong and focused. Everyone from my neighbors to my Canadian bros to my soul sisters. Thank you everyone.
Backstory
I’m currently living in Bali. I fell in love and married an Indonesian man. Shortly after Zhena and Zali were born is when the abuse began. My marriage became a violent nightmare. He beat me, physically and mentally; he cheated on us with a 20 year old women. Since the birth of the twins he hasn't financially supported us, nor his family. Family and friends back home have helped where they could but I’ve still had to resort to working three jobs just to keep us afloat and pay all the legal fees.
After a year of hellish mental and physical abuse I worked up the courage to leave. I spent five months in a protracted court battle against the father and to win custody of Al-Zhena and Al Gazali. What little savings I had went into that custody battle, not to mention the divorce. This victory was bittersweet. As much as getting custody was a win, I no longer have the funds to get the twins home and I’m seriously worried for all our safety.
The current situation is that I am waiting for the temporary passports of the twins to be ready, should be a couple more weeks. The passports expire on their second birthday, March 27, 2019. Once the passports expire I’ll have to wait for their permanent passports to be processed, which takes another 12 months or more. More importantly, the twins will be two and I’ll have to pay almost full air fare for both of them.
What I need your help with is paying for plane tickets for myself and a caretaker. The reason for the caretaker is that airlines won’t allow children under two to fly without someone to hold them. I’ll also be breaking my current employment contract in order to leave the country. This adds an additional cost. I have to pay back my visa, which will cost $1000 and my housing loan, which costs $1500. My airline tickets will cost about $6000. All told, I need a minimum of $8500 Canadian dollars to get my twins home to Nova Scotia. This entire situation has been a nightmare. I’m asking for help because I’m truly desperate. Friends back home have helped me establish this go fund me campaign. The three of us will appreciate any help you can give. Also, my mother needs to meet her only grandchildren.
I also want to say a huge thank you to all the people that have helped me get this far. My main lawyers worked for Woman and Child Protection Services in the government here. Not only did they win our case but they emotionally supported me as well. I would not have made it this far without them. Raniti and Fitra are my heroes. Also, my workplace has been so supportive and everyone is so kind and caring. All my friends over here have been so supportive and have helped me to stay strong and focused. Everyone from my neighbors to my Canadian bros to my soul sisters. Thank you everyone.
Organizer
Mary Harrison
Organizer
Head of Chezzetcook, NS