More on the Mastaki Family’s Journey to Safety

The Mastaki family is making great progress! Riziki’s father, Dominique, finally arrived as a legal US immigrant in May. The total cost was about $4,500!He immediately got the proper ID to look for work and to go to school to learn English. He is currently living with Riziki and working at a temporary position in Charlotte, NC. Although he turns 65 this month, all of his retirement savings were drained trying to survive two rebel uprisings and the recent earthquake, so whatever he can, he sends to his family in Goma to pay bills to keep the utilities on and food on the table.

Thanks to generous donations from many friends and neighbors, we held another successful garage sale and raised enough money to start the legal process and pay for the initial paperwork for Riziki’s mother, Josephine. Hopefully, we have learned about some pitfalls to avoid and the process will not be as expensive or take as long as for her father.

Riziki’s brother, Moses, continues to attend college in France, while living with their sister, Kibibi, her husband and newborn baby. Her sister, Mandala and her husband and 12 children are the only ones who remain in Kenya. They continue to work out ways to stay afloat as they wait for an immigration opportunity. Fortunately, the Village Cooperative continues to provide funds from donations and receipts from sales of scarves by Knit Together in Peace to help to sustain them during this waiting period.

Many thanks again to all of you for your prayers, donations, and support!