Help Fran and her baby

Hi readers,

For those who do not know me, my name is Francine Alves and I come from Brazil.

I’ve been in jail in a foreign country for more than a year now waiting to be sentenced.

I have no family or financial support in New Zealand.

I spent all my pregnancy inside prison, luckily after fighting a lot with the authorities I was selected for a space inside a special facility designated fot pregnant women and their babies, called "the mothers and babies unit".

During all this time I've been struggling to guarantee my place inside this unit, which is the only possibility for me to be together with my daughter. However, the government only allows me to be part of the mothers and babies unit until my baby is 24 months old, and under the condition that I am the one who has to personally meet all expenses regarding every aspect of mine and my daughter's daily needs including food, clothes, hygiene and etc. This is even though I am not entitle to any benefits or support because I am not a New Zealand resident, even though of course I can’t leave.

At this point I’m financially disabled and truly afraid of not meeting the costs I have to. If I don't do so, I'm gonna lose my place here and my daughter. I would so much appreciate any help that anybody can offer.

To all truly,

Francine Lunar