One last Opportunity: Help a dentist towards her Freedom
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Name: Elina Mark (Alibi due to security reasons)
Background: Sudanese (Christian)
Profile: 9 years of experience as a Dentist, University-educated, fluent spoken and written English, UNHCR-certified refugee
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia (stranded there since 2017)
Risk of returning: Death, Arrest, Torture
The Opportunity: Private Refugee Sponsorship to Canada
Financial Need: $18,000 CAD
Her story:
Elina is a former dentist back in Sudan. She is 38 years old and has graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Elina has always been independent and had worked to pay her own college fees whilst supporting herself during her studies. After graduation, She had worked in two jobs and took many courses to develop her dentistry knowledge, practices, and skills to become a respected and knowledgeable dentist back in her home country.
How she got here:
Her life was turned upside down when her family and people around me found out about my
Beliefs. Her family arranged a marriage for her (without the consent) to a man that she had never met and who forced her to get married in 2015. they were thinking if another person can control her, she will have to be obedient, her life became hell from that point forward.
“On the first day, as I did not accept him as my husband, he beat me; he grabbed my hair and punched me in the face and pushed me to the bed. I suffered every single day I spent with him. He treated me like an object; less than a human being. He abused me in ways that I cannot explain in words, because he noticed that I was not praying. Every day, he forced me to read the Quran and pray with him. If I refused to do this, he would beat me up.”
She was not able to leave him because he confiscated everything she owned: her savings and every item of jewellery. My younger sister was going to college and needed my support as my father had passed away and my mother had retired. When she went to the police to ask for help, they rejected her and said: “You’re his wife, and these kinds of things happen in married life; you should obey your husband.” The authorities could not protect her either.
The only choice she had left if she was to save herself and sanity is to secretly save some money and run away to a safe place as a Christian with the limited resources she has. Ever since the Muslim Brotherhood took control of the country, after the 1989 revolution, they applied “Hudud” punishment according to the “Sharia” law as decreed by national law in September 1983.
One of the non-humanitarian laws is Article 126 of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code on apostasy which states that “a Muslim who declares publicly that he/she has adopted any religion other than Islam commits the crime of apostasy and is punishable with the death penalty.” She remembered that Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to death on account of converting to Christianity in 2014 and many others have similarly faced tragic death due to their belief in other religions.
Life in indonesia
In 2017, Elina fled to Indonesia and was recognized as a refugee by the UNHCR. For one year, She survived with her own savings. In 2018, She requested to accommodate me in IOM’s community housing, but they refused to register me as Australia has reduced funding for refugees in indonesia. She was left with no option. To provide daily food for herself, she volunteered at the Roshan learning centre as a biology teacher and manager. I survived with the daily teacher’s transportation allowance. In Indonesia they do not have any basic rights, no right to work, study, etc.
She remains stuck in an uncertain limbo. Although recognized as a refugee by UNHCR, she is still considered an illegal immigrant in Indonesia, without human rights or freedom of movement. To make the best of her skills, Elina volunteers for RAIC Indonesia (Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Center), as a manager for their dental care program, and translator/interpreter for their mental health journals and other programs.
She is trapped in Indonesia waiting for resettlement that will not happen in the near future. As a result, She’s unable to rebuild her life and she doesn’t have the opportunity to utilise her skills and contribute to society.
Funding:
The good news – because Elina has a UNHCR refugee status, she can be privately sponsored to come to Canada. A group of 5 Canadians have agreed to sponsor Elina to get resettled to Canada! The big challenge is funding. The minimum amount required to settle a refugee for one year is set at $17,000, though more is preferred. The breakdown provided by Canadian immigration:
As soon as this money is collected, it will be held in a secure bank account managed by her Group Of Five Canadians who will serve as Elina’s official sponsor. When Elina arrives, the money will be disbursed under guidelines laid out by the Canadian government.
The Opportunity:
Elina would be able to continue her dentistry practice and contribute to the Canadian’s health and dentistry system. She will make a wonderful addition to Canada. You can read more about her story here – http://www.glory3.home.blog/. You can also contact her through her email here or her Linkedin
This page has been posted by Alfred and Mozhgan who are leading the effort to bring Elina to Canada. You can contact Alfred and Mozhgan through Facebook.
Please help! Every dollar brings us one step to our goal.
Julie bassil
-
$18,500.00
Funding Goal -
$0.00
Funds Raised -
0
Days to go -
Campaign Never Ends
Campaign End Method
Product Description
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Name: Elina Mark (Alibi due to security reasons)
Background: Sudanese (Christian)
Profile: 9 years of experience as a Dentist, University-educated, fluent spoken and written English, UNHCR-certified refugee
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia (stranded there since 2017)
Risk of returning: Death, Arrest, Torture
The Opportunity: Private Refugee Sponsorship to Canada
Financial Need: $18,000 CAD
Her story:
Elina is a former dentist back in Sudan. She is 38 years old and has graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Elina has always been independent and had worked to pay her own college fees whilst supporting herself during her studies. After graduation, She had worked in two jobs and took many courses to develop her dentistry knowledge, practices, and skills to become a respected and knowledgeable dentist back in her home country.
How she got here:
Her life was turned upside down when her family and people around me found out about my
Beliefs. Her family arranged a marriage for her (without the consent) to a man that she had never met and who forced her to get married in 2015. they were thinking if another person can control her, she will have to be obedient, her life became hell from that point forward.
“On the first day, as I did not accept him as my husband, he beat me; he grabbed my hair and punched me in the face and pushed me to the bed. I suffered every single day I spent with him. He treated me like an object; less than a human being. He abused me in ways that I cannot explain in words, because he noticed that I was not praying. Every day, he forced me to read the Quran and pray with him. If I refused to do this, he would beat me up.”
She was not able to leave him because he confiscated everything she owned: her savings and every item of jewellery. My younger sister was going to college and needed my support as my father had passed away and my mother had retired. When she went to the police to ask for help, they rejected her and said: “You’re his wife, and these kinds of things happen in married life; you should obey your husband.” The authorities could not protect her either.
The only choice she had left if she was to save herself and sanity is to secretly save some money and run away to a safe place as a Christian with the limited resources she has. Ever since the Muslim Brotherhood took control of the country, after the 1989 revolution, they applied “Hudud” punishment according to the “Sharia” law as decreed by national law in September 1983.
One of the non-humanitarian laws is Article 126 of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code on apostasy which states that “a Muslim who declares publicly that he/she has adopted any religion other than Islam commits the crime of apostasy and is punishable with the death penalty.” She remembered that Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to death on account of converting to Christianity in 2014 and many others have similarly faced tragic death due to their belief in other religions.
Life in indonesia
In 2017, Elina fled to Indonesia and was recognized as a refugee by the UNHCR. For one year, She survived with her own savings. In 2018, She requested to accommodate me in IOM’s community housing, but they refused to register me as Australia has reduced funding for refugees in indonesia. She was left with no option. To provide daily food for herself, she volunteered at the Roshan learning centre as a biology teacher and manager. I survived with the daily teacher’s transportation allowance. In Indonesia they do not have any basic rights, no right to work, study, etc.
She remains stuck in an uncertain limbo. Although recognized as a refugee by UNHCR, she is still considered an illegal immigrant in Indonesia, without human rights or freedom of movement. To make the best of her skills, Elina volunteers for RAIC Indonesia (Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Center), as a manager for their dental care program, and translator/interpreter for their mental health journals and other programs.
She is trapped in Indonesia waiting for resettlement that will not happen in the near future. As a result, She’s unable to rebuild her life and she doesn’t have the opportunity to utilise her skills and contribute to society.
Funding:
The good news – because Elina has a UNHCR refugee status, she can be privately sponsored to come to Canada. A group of 5 Canadians have agreed to sponsor Elina to get resettled to Canada! The big challenge is funding. The minimum amount required to settle a refugee for one year is set at $17,000, though more is preferred. The breakdown provided by Canadian immigration:
As soon as this money is collected, it will be held in a secure bank account managed by her Group Of Five Canadians who will serve as Elina’s official sponsor. When Elina arrives, the money will be disbursed under guidelines laid out by the Canadian government.
The Opportunity:
Elina would be able to continue her dentistry practice and contribute to the Canadian’s health and dentistry system. She will make a wonderful addition to Canada. You can read more about her story here – http://www.glory3.home.blog/. You can also contact her through her email here or her Linkedin
This page has been posted by Alfred and Mozhgan who are leading the effort to bring Elina to Canada. You can contact Alfred and Mozhgan through Facebook.
Please help! Every dollar brings us one step to our goal.
Julie bassil
| ID | Name | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1244 | Listing Agent | [email protected] | |
| 1215 | Listing Agent | [email protected] |
