Help Tsige raise money

This picture was taken at the Toronto Airport in August 2024 when our family (me, my daughters Yohana and Sina, and my son Biniam) was reunited after many years with the help of the Holy Trinity Refugee Committee.

Our journey before that day was very long and very hard. We were a family of five in Eritrea where we were persecuted because of our religion. With the help of the Refugee Committee, our son Biniam made his way to Toronto. Once he was settled and working, he asked the Refugee Committee to help bring over the rest of his family. It took many years to raise the money, fill out all the papers, and especially to have our application processed.

Disaster struck while we were waiting. My husband, whose name was on all of the papers as the principal applicant, died unexpectedly of Covid. After this terrible loss, we had to do all the papers over again under my name, and still we had to wait. 

The girls and I were living in Ethiopia for our protection, when suddenly permission came for Yohana to come to Canada, but not me or Sina. She arrived in Toronto, and soon found work, then joined the Refugee Committee’s efforts to help bring me and Sina.

By then, Ethiopia was refusing to give exit visas to refugees, so we had to walk at night, sleeping by day, hiding under trees from border patrols. Our guides turned out to be bandits who took all our money, but we made it to Sudan and then Uganda.

And finally to Toronto, where I met my grandchildren for the first time. Our family is together again and we are safe, and we want to help the Holy Trinity Refugee Committee to bring others to this wonderful country.

Thank you very much for any help you can give. Tsige