Raising Rautenbachs

Meet the Rautenbach family, a group of 8 people filled with life and love. My name is Ruaan, and I have 6 beautiful children with my wife, Jansi. After being unable to visit family for 4 years, we planned a trip to South Africa over Christmas to finally see them; it was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime.

But our plans were derailed by Cyclone Gabrielle, leaving us stranded and unable to return home to NZ. In a panic, we were forced to cancel our plane tickets, losing the non-refundable fees. As a result, we had to act quickly to avoid becoming illegal visitors in SA, which meant buying last-minute tickets to Mexico, as we had friends there who could help with part-time accommodation.

Now, we are facing a financial crisis. Our credit cards are overdrawn, and our income barely covers the cost of repayments and daily living expenses. We are living a real-life version of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events".

Despite challenges, we remain determined to overcome these struggles and come out stronger. First, however, we need your help. We're still in Mexico and looking for a way to get back home, and settling our credit card debts is our top priority. With your support, we can focus on getting our family back where we need to be and providing the life our children deserve.

Please consider helping us. Any contribution you can make would be greatly appreciated. Together, we can turn our series of unfortunate events into a brighter future for our family.