Refugee baby Khaled and his young parents need your help
Please help Hafsa, Sadam and Khaled pay the debt incurred from the costs of Hafsa's maternity care and Khaled's difficult birth.
International
Hafsa* left Somalia for Malaysia as a 16-year-old unaccompanied minor in 2012. It took two years after she first stood outside the gates of the UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur for her to be interviewed to determine her refugee status, then another two years before she was considered for resettlement. During this time she believes her father died under suspicious circumstances back in Somalia. She misses him and her mother terribly.
While living without any family, Hafsa pursued her education at a refugee school in Kuala Lumpur and then went on to take up an officially voluntary teacher aide role at the school. Her income is negligible. Refugees in Malaysia are unable to work legally, but able to receive donations and financial support from their families and other concerned parties.
In early 2017, New Zealand Immigration confirmed Hafsa would be resettled in New Zealand within 18 months. While she was awaiting news of her departure, Hafsa fell in love with a young Somali man called Sadam*, they got engaged and became pregnant. Little baby Khaled* was born via caesarean section at the end of March 2018. Refugees in Malaysia, like all foreigners, are required to pay international rates at public hospitals. The cost of a caesarean section and the related maternity care is significant relative to their income. The UNHCR paid half of Hafsa and Khaled's bill, and Sadam took out a loan to pay the rest. The young family desperately need to pay this loan back and are unable to legally work to raise the funds themselves.
At this stage it looks like Hafsa and Khaled will still be resettled in New Zealand this year. To do this, they have to make the heartbreaking decision to separate from Sadam for an indefinite period, hoping to reunite somehow in the future. Sadam will not be able to escape the country or the debt from his son's very difficult and protracted birth.
*names have been changed to protect the identity of the refugees.
Sarah Jane Parton's involvement (page creator)
How do I know these folk? Well, I first met Hafsa outside the UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur in April 2016. I was supporting some friends who were inside the compound, and Hafsa was there supporting a young person who had recently arrived from Somalia. In each other we recognised a common aim - that we both wished to support refugees living in limbo. Hafsa, as a refugee, understood the difficulty of seeking asylum in a foreign country, having fled home because it was untenable to stay. I, as someone with immense passport privilege, understood that I had a responsibility to use my privilege to the advantage of those without it. We have been friends ever since. We're also both artists, educators, and now mothers.
Use of funds
The money raised will go towards paying the debt incurred from the costs of Hafsa's maternity care and Khaled's difficult birth. If we have a surplus, the money will be used to start a fund to reunite the family after Hafsa and Khaled leave Malaysia.
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