Capital Rainbow Refuge (CRR) applied for two sponsorship grants in late 2016. One application was for a young female refugee for whom FOH made a contribution of $5,000.  The woman had to flee her country of origin in the Middle East to avoid life threatening persecution on the basis of sexual orientation and gender.

With FOH’s financial contribution, CRR was able to assemble sufficient resettlement funds to submit an application for sponsorship to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The application has since moved to the Canadian visa office in her country of refuge. Lisa Hébert is the case coordinator from CRR who informed FOH today that her sponsorship application has been approved!

Processing could still take several months, but we are all very much looking forward to her arrival. States Hébert,

“She is overjoyed, and so relieved, as she has been trying to ensure that her family doesn’t marry her off.

Thank you for making this happen!”

The young woman writes to CRR,

“I am sooo happyyyy! Thanks to you, I will have a new life.

I am very thankful.”

Capital Rainbow Refuge has been working with several groups in the Ottawa region. These groups are close to sponsoring, but still need a bit of financial assistance to have sufficient funds for resettlement to move forward with an IRCC application for sponsorship. These groups include the Ottawa Rainbow Friendship Alliance (ORFA) and Baker’s Dozen. Folks like Lisa at CRR have trained the groups and allowed them to use their CRA registered charitable account for fundraising. Additionally, CRR has committed to act as the Constituent Group (CG) for the sponsorship applications.

Without FOH, Hébert states they won’t be able to apply in time to be eligible for the federal Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program administered by Vancouver-based Rainbow Refugee Committee. The program provides three months of financial assistance to LGBT+ Newcomers in the first year of resettlement. It is due to expire in March 2017 unless it is reinstated by the Government of Canada. Without the program, all LGBT+ sponsorship groups face challenges with their sponsorship agreement holders (SAHs) because of a restrictive quota.

This means timing is very important.

It is only through the generous donations FOH receives from folks like you that allow us to consider new applications.

Please give. 

You can click to make a on-line donation or become a monthly donor HERE!

It would mean to world to us.