Please help bring my sister home!
I am raising money to help bring my sister home from indentured work as a domestic servant in the Middle East.
Waikato
Life doesn't always turn out like you planned. And neither does child sponsorship. One of the Kids First Uganda girls I have known since 2008, and would consider a little sister, is now stuck in a Middle Eastern country as a domestic servant. She needs help to come home.
My sister had a troubled upbringing, which brought her into Kids First. I paid sponsorship for her education but her home life was turbulent. Eventually when her aunt kicked her out (too many mouths to feed) she couldn't turn to her dad (who lived in a one room "house" with her abusive stepmum), or her mum (who was HIV pos and homeless with her 3 half siblings) so she moved in with her boyfriend and fell pregnant.
She could not provide for her child so an acquaintance suggested she go overseas for work. They arranged her passport and travel to a Middle Eastern country where she has been for nearly 12 months.
The work conditions here are harsh - she works 18h+ per day, with no days off. She is earning a pittance. The country she is in doesn't have laws to protect domestic workers, and they are often severely beaten, or worse, if they try to leave - particularly if they try to leave before their 'contract' is up. Even if they are allowed to leave, they have to pay for their own ticket and often other "costs" to their employer, which is far exceeding the measly salary they are given.
My sister didn't tell me any of this as she was too embarrassed and thought I would be mad that she had let me down. All I knew was that Kids First had lost contact with her and her sponsorship had stopped. I wish she had told me or Kids First so we could intervene earlier, but the least I can do is try and bring her home safely now.
I am raising funds to help pay for my sister's cab ride from her place of employment to the international airport, and for her ticket home. Should we raise more than this it will go to any additional costs to get her home, or to resettling her and supporting her baby once she is home. I will regularly update this page so you know where your donations are being spent.
Please note: For her safety I can't disclose her name, or which country she is in. I can vouch for Kids First Uganda as an amazing organisation that I have worked with for over a decade and I have personally met my sister and those working with the organisation multiple times.
FYI:
Risks of domestic workers: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/01/18/respect-rights-domestic-workers-oman-depends
A bit more specific to our situation: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/top-stories/how-ugandan-girls-are-sold-to-oman-for-domestic-work/ar-BBUQDAU
Our friend was essentially trafficked: https://allafrica.com/stories/201810180232.html
Kids First Uganda info: www.kidsfirstuganda.com
Sarah Prabhu's involvement (page creator)
My sister (from another mister) is stuck in a Middle Eastern country as a domestic servant. She is working under harsh conditions and desperately wants to return to her little boy and family back home but leaving comes with significant risk. Money raised will help pay for her plane ticket home and any other costs required to essentially buy back her freedom.
Use of funds
1. Plane ticket home
2. Transport to international airport (from current place of employment)
If we raise additional funds these will go toward any other cost to get her home and resettling her with her baby once home.
Latest update
GOING HOME!! 12 July 2019
HUGE THANK YOU to all donors so far! Sorry I haven't updated on here yet but have been doing so on FB. Hopefully you've all read on there.
For those of you not on FB, I will post a brief update now then a more detailed one once we know for sure she is safe and home.
The past week has been intense, stressful, will many late nights as we worked with those in the Middle East to co-ordinate and negotiate a price for my sister's release. Even then it was not a given. There was a lot of intimidation she faced, with gruesome videos and verbal threats. However in the past few days we made great headway and after a sleepless night last night she is on the plane back home!!
Huge gratitude to two Ugandan women living in two different countries in the Middle East who arranged payment for my sister avoid suspicion from an overseas transfer from NZ. All money raised now will go toward paying them back as they gave well above what we had expected we would need to and emptied their savings to save our friend.
More details to come xx
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