Help Sponsor Family From Afghanistan

My name is Jessica Irish and I am a friend of Hosnia Shekib.

GoFundMe has a policy that prevents any funds to be transferred to individuals in Afghanistan (https://www.gofundme.com/en-gb/c/blog/support-for-afghanistan) All proceeds from this donation will remain IN CANADA with Mosaic as the beneficiary of this money. As per GoFundMe policy regarding fundraising for Afghan people, I need to clearly answer the following questions:

1. Who you are and where you are from: My name is Jessica and I am a Canadian Citizen and live in BC, Canada

2. Your relationship to the parties you're raising funds for: I met Hosnia 5.5 years ago when she arrived in Canada, through a non-profit housing agency. We are friends. I have never met her family.

3. Your plan to send the funds to the intended recipients, and their names: The funds raised through this post will be provided in cheque form to MOSAIC in Vancouver (Settlement and Employment Services for Immigrants and Refugees) on November 29th, 2023. MOSAIC is acting as a SAH (Sponorship Application Holder) and Hosnia has been working with them for several years. They offered her a place to submit a sponsorship application to bring her family to Canada. The application is due on November 30, 2023. Hosnia is sponsoring her mother, father, and two younger sisters. NO funds will be transferred to Afghanistan, all donations will remain in Canada and be managed by MOSAIC. All funds will be provided to the family while in Canada to help them build a life here.

4. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible): ALl funds will be transferred into my (Jessica) account and e-transferred to Hosnia by November 29th. She will provide the total amount in cheque form and present it to MOSAIC as part of her sponsorship application. As per the SAH agreement and sponsoring privately in Canada, MOSAIC will then provide a monthly stipend to Hosnia's family once they arrive in Canada. The funds will be used to cover their cost of housing (rent) and food as well as important living expenses such as clothing required for job interviews and for the family, English tutoring, school supplies, medications and/or and whatever other services are necessary to support them to gain employment and for Hosnia's sisters to restart their education in the Canadian school system (i.e. school supplies). If you are interested in helping the family with incidentals such as these once they arrive in Canada, please contact me.

BACKGROUND

Hosnia fled from Afghanistan to Canada 6 years ago and has been working diligently to bring her mother, father, and two younger sisters to Canada. When the US pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021 her family fled to Pakistan where they have been hiding since. Hosnia and her family are Hazaras which are a minority ethnic group who face persecution in Afghanistan. She and her family also follow the Shia religion; member of this religion have been under numerous attacks by the Taliban for many years. Her family has faced numerous threats and violence in Afghanistan.

Hosnia’s mother is currently very sick and as Pakistan is in the process of forcefully repatriating refugees back to Afghanistan, there is very limited time left to support this family to come to Canada.

Hosnia has been offered a spot by MOSAIC to sponsor her family to come to Canada. The cost for this sponsorship is ~$22,000 DUE ON NOVEMBER 30, 2023. $12,000 has already been secured. Regrettably several sponsors were unable to keep their commitment contribution which is why we are asking the public for support. Without the funds the application will be cancelled.

She needs approximately $12,000 to secure her application which will likely guarantee that her family can seek refuge in Canada. Hosnia has been working on this application for many months and has experienced significant mental health challenges due to the uncertainly of her family's health, safety, and due to this unexpected need to fundraise more money in such a short time frame.

PLEASE consider contributing to this very worthwhile cause. Hosnia’s family members speak English, are educated (her mother is a Physician and her father is an Engineer) and are highly motivated to build a life for their two young daughters. We do not want to imagine what their daughters lives will be like if they are forcefully returned to Afghanistan.

All contributions are sincerely appreciated and we thank you all in advance for your kindness and generosity. As of November 25th, $1505 has been raised by my friends and family through social media! If the full amount is not secured by the end of the day on November 29th, Hosnia will make a second attempt to sponsor her family through the "Group of 5 Application". This will require 5 individuals to pledge up to $20,000 to privately sponsor the family. Any funds accrued will be applied to this second attempt. However, Group of 5 Applications often take longer and are more costly and do not offer the same certainty of approval.

Sincerely,

Jessica & Hosnia