Unite Rafa with His Loving Family

The purpose of this fund-raising campaign is to provide a better life for 11-year-old Rafa Leyva. Rafa, who lives in an orphanage in Mexico, witnessed firsthand, his mother’s brutal murder (by having her throat slit) by the hand of his own father. While his brother and sister ran for help, Rafa tried desperately to keep his mother alive. Rafa’s father was convicted of the murder and is currently serving a 23 year sentence in prison.

This tragedy left Rafa and his older brother and sister alone and orphans with no family in their small village. His siblings fortunately had birthright citizenship and were able to move to the U.S. with their Uncle Jesus Martinez Leyva (brother of Rafa’s murdered mother). Unlike his siblings, Rafa was born in Mexico and has been denied entry to the US, despite a 2-year effort from a team of four people (“Team Rafa”) who are friends of his Uncle Jesus. Rafa lives in a Mexican orphanage, far away from his siblings and any family. He dreams of one day being reunited with what remains of his family.

Rafa’s Uncle Jesus (who is an American citizen) and his wife Carmen, have 3 children of their own including a special needs son. They now bear the enormous burden of caring for their niece and nephew. Despite all this, Jesus and the other members of Team Rafa have spent the last two years visiting Rafa in a Mexican orphanage, while desperately navigating the US immigration system to bring Rafa to America to reunite with his siblings. Unfortunately, all efforts to legally bring Rafa to the US have failed. The only remaining option is for Jesus to formally adopt Rafa and bring him home. An American adoption in Mexico, which complies with the Hague Adoption Convention, is a long and expensive endeavor. Jesus and the other members of Team Rafa have engaged Nightlight (https://nightlight.org/adoption-services/), a non-profit, Hague accredited Christian-based adoption agency approved to work in America and Mexico. They have told us that the adoption should be approved given the circumstances, however, they have estimated an out-of-pocket cost of $35,000 to $40,000 for the adoption. This amount is not affordable for Jesus, who has worked as a locker room attendant at a local golf club for over 30 years while supporting the rest of his family.

Today, Uncle Jesus and Team Rafa launch this GoFundMe campaign to provide much-needed assistance needed to adopt Rafa and reunite him with his siblings. Your generosity will first cover the adoption expenses with any remaining funds going to help cover vital expenses for these children such as medical bills, psychological care, education and daily essentials. Team Rafa consists of a diverse group of four business and non-profit leaders who all know and love Jesus and have rallied around him for the last several years.

No donation is too small. Your support will help bring Rafa to America, reuniting him with his beloved siblings, cousins and aunt & uncle and allowing him to heal with his only remaining family. Thank you for your kindness, empathy, and generosity.

Please share this campaign with your network and let us come together to make a lasting impact on the lives of these beautiful children.

Photo - Recent picture of Uncle Jesus and Rafa at orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico