Thank you so much for the question.
ROAR identified me in November 2019 after reading my story online. They saw me and we got in touch. I explained to them that I used to post a lot on social media and I used to act as an advocate for my fellow LGBTQI+ persons. Still, we were threatened by the UNHCR and the police not to post, because the donors might say, “Oh, people are getting attacked. How will donors give money to UNHCR if people are being attacked?” They used to discourage us from posting on social media, and this is what is happening in South Sudan right now.
When ROAR came in 2019, they identified me and Meddie, and I got a chance and they opted to resettle me to safety. That's when the hope came in. I was like, “Oh, I'm hopeful that I'll be safe tomorrow,” because despite all these private sponsorship options, still I was attacked by the refugees and received lots of discrimination.
The process ran, and I'm so grateful to the Canadian government because I got through the process so quickly. The visa official really saw my story and saw what I was going through. He asked for my social media. I gave it to him and he was like, “Oh, this is so bad.” That was the time when my leg got broken. I was on crutches. I was in such a bad situation back then. In a few months, I was referred to the IOM, the International Organization for Migration, for my medical needs, and security checks were done and my visa was issued in September 2021.
Unfortunately, because I was such a vocal advocate for the people, the Government of Kenya and the UNHCR said I could not fly, so it was another battle for me to engage in.