Please help reunite Ana Sofia with her son Alejandro in time for his urgent surgery.

In 2014 Ana Sofia fled her Latin American country of birth from fear of death after escaping from her kidnappers. Tragically, she was prevented from taking her 3 year old son Alejandro with her.

For many months Ana Sofia lived in a neighbouring country subject to racial discrimination while seeking U.N. refugee status. A year later that status was approved, and together with her mother and father she was relocated to Aotearoa NZ.

Arriving from tropical South America to mid-winter New Zealand, they brought only those possessions they could carry, and faced the daunting prospect of having had no previous knowledge of our country or its languages.

However, more than a year later and with NZ residency, Ana Sofia has progressed admirably through the expected compliance with NZ Government departments and their requirements, through the difficulties of learning NZ English, and also of course with cultural differences and climatic changes.

During her time here though, Ana Sofia has suffered from delayed trauma (PTSD), depression, separation anxiety, and adjustment disorder due to her kidnapping ordeal, the forced separation from her son for more than 2 years, and his repeated hospitalisation for chronic sinusitis.

Furthermore, Alejandro's sinusitis now requires endoscopic surgery with risks that are potentially life threatening. For the surgery to proceed, the doctors require his mother to be present in the event of pre-op, during or post-op complications.

In your choice to help Ana Sofia and Alejandro, your assistance will go towards return travel to and from South America (including entry and exit fees), living expenses for 3 months, medical costs including for surgery and post-op hospital care, security fees for their protection, and the legal costs for Alejandro's emigration.

As the threat to Ana Sofia's life is still very real, she will travel in anonymity, and will avoid staying with extended family members. Ana Sofia has acquired all the necessary travel documentation for re-entry and exit to and from South America, and has maintained her Red Cross/U.N. refugee paperwork that verifies her story.

All assistance is sought on her behalf for the enabling of the above outlined purposes. Your gifts, and or thoughts and prayers will be warmly received and greatly appreciated.