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Auckland Refugee Family Trust

  • With thanks!

      7 November 2021
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    Dear Friends of the Trust,

    We’d like to take the opportunity to thank you again for all the support you have shown to the families of refugee background New Zealanders over the past months. Although the situation in Afghanistan is still perilous especially for women and girls - and despite the challenges of air travel in a pandemic - we have some very good news stories to share.

    Thanks to the government evacuation flights from Kabul, all the women and children with loved ones here, who we were initially in contact with, have made it to safety in New Zealand. We know the need is still great - and thanks to your generosity we have funds available to help more families as soon as commercial flights are again available.

    We have had other causes for celebration. A brother and sister arrived recently from a war torn country to reunite with the uncle who has adopted them. He says, “Finally they arrived in New Zealand safe and sound… without your support it is almost impossible. Thank you so much for your time and hard work. Forever thankful!”

    We are also thrilled to have helped reunite a father with his two teenage sons: “So, so happy after five years without seeing them, I can not express my happiness.” Arranging flights, navigating covid testing requirements and trying to help secure MIQ places is so much more time consuming and expensive than it has been in previous years - without your support we could make none of this happen.

    2022 is likely to be just as challenging - which is why we are looking for another Trustee to join us and bring their skills, energy and commitment to our small team. If you are interested in finding out more please visit our website or complete our Expression of Interest form here.

    As we head towards the holiday season at such a strange and uncertain time in New Zealand, we are all conscious that despite the challenges of past months we can still count our blessings compared with some places in the world. Please consider a donation this Christmas, through Givealittle. All donations above $5 are tax deductible.

    With deepest thanks from all the families you have helped to reunite.

    The Trustees

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  • Wonderful news!

      24 August 2021

    We are beyond thrilled to report that one of the families we have been in contact with in Kabul - a mother and eight children - has arrived safely in Auckland, thanks to an evacuation flight. They are now in quarantine. Our hearts are with all the women and children still in danger and we will continue to help in any way we can - but today we are thankful for one more family about to be reunited.

    If you haven't already, please keep in touch by signing up to our newsletter via our website: https://arft.org.nz or following us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeFamilyTrust

    Thank you again!

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  • Thank you from the women & children in Kabul that you have given hope!

      18 August 2021

    Thank you, dear friends, for the extraordinary outpouring of support you have given to help the families still in Kabul. As you will have heard, commercial flights are not currently operating but as soon as they resume, we will need all your kind donations - and more - in order to bring these women and children to safety in New Zealand so they can reunite with loved ones here. The cost of flights will be sky high - your generosity may quite literally save lives.

    In the absence of commercial flights, we are advocating for the families we are supporting to be granted any empty seats on evacuation flights out of Kabul. We will keep you all updated as events unfold. Thank you again, on behalf of all the women & children to whom you are offering hope!

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  • Kabul is about to fall

      15 August 2021

    Dear Friends,

    The situation in Afghanistan is dire. Kabul is about to fall to the Taliban. We have three families, already with visas, bags packed - who have asked us for help so they can join their husbands and fathers in New Zealand. Please support us in bringing these women and children to safety.

    Countries all over the world are pulling their diplomatic staff out of Afghanistan. Airfares are sky high. These three families have no chance of getting out of Kabul if our wonderful ARFT supporters can't help - we don't often put out this kind of SOS but lives are at stake and we are tens of thousands of dollars short of being able to help all three families. These are unprecedented times - please, anything you can offer will be appreciated beyond words. All donations over $5 are tax deductible.

    With deepest thanks from the Trustees & all the families you could help to reunite in safety

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    • 16/08/2021 by Ripu

      Hi there,

      I’m Ripu, a journalist at Stuff.

      I’m writing about the current situation in Afghanistan. I have seen your Givealittle page. I would be interested in writing an article about this.

      Please give me a call on 027 278 5711

      Kindest,

      Ripu Bhatia

  • Heartfelt thanks from families you have supported

      23 May 2021

    Dear Friends of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust,

    Despite the challenges of the pandemic raging offshore, we have been able to continue to help reunite refugee families here in New Zealand, thanks to your ongoing kindness.

    Recently we were thrilled to be able to support seven children who travelled to New Zealand to join family here. All arrived here in good health, completed their quarantine and are now attending school. We received the following message from the family that we would like to pass on to you - all the people who have supported us and made this reunification possible.

    “I don't know where to start to tell you how happy and relieved we are having all the kids here with us, especially during this time with Covid and the situation back home. There is a saying in my language, "May God repay you in good deeds." I hope one day we are able to help some in need, too. The children are very happy and pleased to be here and everyone is settling well and I can't thank enough the team at the Auckland Refugee Family Trust and the people who donated to make this dream happen. "ANGELS SENT FROM GOD "God bless you all and give you the courage and opportunities to help more. I hope I am able to help in future too.”

    Another father had this to share: “I was in despair that I would never see my beloved wife and children again. Thanks to the generous and compassionate donations of ARFT supporters they arrived safely last week and are now in MIQ. I am incredibly grateful and cannot wait to see them. With your support and the many freedoms we enjoy in this country, my family and I are motivated to do well and contribute to society.”

    We are delighted to be able to share such happy news - but we are also aware that there are other families who have applied to us for support and are waiting to be reunited, including a father whose family is in a very unsafe situation overseas and who has not seen his children for four years. For the price of winter holiday we can bring five children to join their parents and fulfil their hopes of starting a new life in peace.

    The price of international airfares has risen substantially - and our coffers are empty. If you are able to help by contributing to the cost of the travel, we know these families will be as grateful as those we have already been able to assist.

    Any funds received go directly towards airfares and related travel costs that will reunite refugee families. Everyone we support has already been granted a visa by Immigration NZ and will undergo testing and book MIQ places as required.

    Our givealittle page is https://givealittle.co.nz/org/arft

    All donations over $5 are tax deductible. Our regular donors are the lifeblood of the Trust – a donation equivalent to a cup of coffee a week can tip the balance.

    Many thanks for your continued support from all of us at the Trust - and from all those families safely together in New Zealand, as a result of your generosity.

    The Trustees

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  • With thanks from all the families you have helped!

      24 November 2019
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    Dear Friend of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust,

    The Trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support during 2019. With your help we have been able to reunite 61 families in total now!

    Highlights for us this year have included bringing a mother, father and younger sibling from a very unsafe environment to join a young woman who has been here many years on her own - and is about to graduate! We have also been able to help in a case where a family had tried several times to leave a war torn country - now thanks to your help, they will be seeing in the New Year in safety with their loved one. Someone who knows the family member living here says her life has been transformed since her family arrived. “She’s a different person. You put blood in her veins”.

    As always, we only provide support for family members who have gone through an exhaustive vetting process and already been granted visas by Immigration New Zealand. The only barrier to their arrival here is the frequently insurmountable cost of the airfares.

    In 2020, we’re looking forward to another big year. We have a major fundraiser coming up at the end of February and we look forward to sharing the details with our lovely supporters in the New Year. We are also excited about continuing our partnership with the Good Registry. If you would like the joy of giving with more love and less waste this Christmas you can set up a gift registry with the Auckland Refugee Family Trust as the beneficiary. https://thegoodregistry.com/

    Our regular donors are some of our favourite people - all donations over $5 are tax deductible. Please email us at info.arft@gmail.com with your contact details so we can send you a receipt. As always, money raised goes directly towards airfares and related travel costs that will reunite refugee families.

    With deepest thanks from all the families you have helped - wishing you a peaceful holiday season full of love!

    The Trustees,

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  • September News from the Auckland Refugee Family Trust

      2 September 2018
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    Dear friend of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust

    We have so much good news to share since our last update, thanks to the kindness of all of you who support us and the assistance of the Refugee Family Reunification Trust in Wellington. Since May we have helped seven adults and ten children from four different countries travel to New Zealand to be reunited with their loved ones here.

    However the success of the past few months in bringing so many families together has meant that we are once again extremely low on funds. We have interviewed three more refugee background individuals this month, who are desperate to bring their loved ones to safety. In addition, we have just received two new applications for a total of seven adults, twelve children and three teenagers who would all benefit immensely from the opportunities living in New Zealand would offer. Without your generosity we will simply not be able to support them all. These people all have visas - all that is stopping them form being able to settle here is the cost of the airfares. Please help us ensure we won't need to turn anyone away.

    Your kindness will bring profound, positive change to the lives of former refugees and their families. Here are just some of the comments we have received recently from people you have helped:

    “I don’t know, you people deserve a medal. All of you. You help poor people who are struggling and don’t ask for anything. Please thank everyone. This is really helps. People say they help others. But this help is real and makes a BIG difference. Thank you”.

    “I couldn't sleep last night, I was so anxious and excited and they (his wife and children) didn’t sleep for three nights for the same reason. Still it's like a dream for me, and for them. When I hugged them your spirit (the spirit of everyone who had donated) was with me, all around me. Today, sometimes we've laughed and sometimes we've cried."

    As always, any donations received go directly towards airfares and related travel costs that will reunite refugee families. Our regular donors are the life blood of the Trust – a donation equivalent to a cup of coffee a week can change lives.

    With thanks for your ongoing support.

    The Trustees

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  • With heartfelt thanks!

      9 April 2018
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    Dear Supporter of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust,

    It is with a full heart that we extend our deepest thanks to all of you who answered our call for funds to bring more families to New Zealand. We are beyond delighted to let you know that thanks to your extraordinary generosity and support from the refugee sector we have been able to assure all our current applicants that we will have funds to help bring their loved ones here. To go from having to turn people away - to being able to say welcome - has been overwhelming for us!

    The families will be arriving over the coming weeks. One family with teenage children, who have previously survived an ISIS siege, will be travelling here to be reunited with their father very soon. They are currently living in very unsafe circumstances but are in daily contact with their dad here who had this to say when we spoke to him: "I just told my family the news and they prayed for you all. You can’t imagine how happy they are. Grateful words can’t express how thankful my family and I are." We want to pass that gratitude on to all of you who have made it possible for us to support their application.

    ARFT also wishes to thank the Refugee Family Reunification Trust for responding so generously to our appeal and funding the reunification of several families.

    We have been humbled by your support!

    With heartfelt thanks,

    The Trustees.

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  • A Special Appeal

      4 March 2018
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    Dear Friend of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust,

    This is an urgent plea. We have applications before us for travel for fifteen people including twelve children or teenagers. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of many of you, our supporters, we have funds to help some of the applicants. But not all.

    Most urgently we need funds to bring a wife and daughter who have lived through an ISIS siege to New Zealand to be reunited with their husband and father. The women’s living situation is currently extremely unsafe. To pay for their airfares we need to raise $4,000 dollars.

    The need is vast but our goals are achievable. We know we can only ever help one family at a time. And right now we are asking for your help to reach our goal of $4,000 to enable us to reunite one family.

    As always, any funds received will go directly towards airfares and related travel costs to reunite refugee families.

    We have never been more in need of your support. For the first time since the Trust was established we may need to refuse further applications until we have the funds. Please help.

    The Trustees

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  • With thanks from the Auckland Refugee Family Trust

      5 December 2017
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    Dear Friend of the Auckland Refugee Family Trust,

    Since 2012 the Auckland Refugee Family Trust has been able to help 118 individuals come to this country to be reunited with their loved ones. That’s 40 families who have been brought together, thanks to you – a total of 79 adults, 35 young children and 4 babies are now living in safety in New Zealand with people who care for them. You have facilitated extraordinary, life transforming change in many lives – deepest thanks from the Trustees and each and every person who has benefited from your kindness.

    We wish all the Friends of ARFT a safe holiday season and ask that you consider the new families who have applied to us for help in being reunited with their loved ones – it could be the greatest gift you give this Christmas.

    With all our gratitude for your ongoing support, the Trustees

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  • 25 families reunited

      14 April 2016

    We’re absolutely delighted to let you know that together we’ve just helped reunite our 25th family.

    On 9 March a father was finally back with his wife and 4 daughters after a separation of 4 years. When we gave him a call to check they’d arrived safely he told us:

    “...I am very happy – very good, very happy. It is a very happy day in my life because I see my wife, my kids - I am very happy....”

    So thank you, because this wouldn’t have happened without your support.

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