30 Nov

Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Update and Giving Tuesday

Dear friends and supporters of Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Fund,

Olympia Monthly Meeting (Quakers) created the “Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Fund” in 2014 to aid LGBTQ Ugandans who are fleeing their homeland for their lives and safety. We were given an opportunity to provide direct assistance and with your support, as of  today – 11/29/2016 – we have supported Ugandan conductors to help 1,815 individuals to escape from Uganda: 1,801 LGBTQ adults, six straight allies, and eight children.

Last week, Conductor #1 wrote:

“I recall D’s statement when we had just started that this work .
I wish funds could come and most of them are transported as a Christmas season gift.
I got the 8 lesbian women today and my total now is 15, all women. Likely to get more next week.

“We are only constrained by lack of adequate funding but the desire to help those persecuted is not about to wane.
We are not about to tire on this matter.
Innocent people are persecuted by ignorant people

“Gabi, we are doing all we can but can never fully help and bring to an end to this xenophobia. I thought it would be a one year event and we would be done. I was wrong on that. It’s like we have just started.

“My mentor D once commented that we are the transport business for a long haul. Truthfully this has come to pass.”

Then today he wrote:

“I have 15 lesbian women in waiting and am likely to get 24 more over the course of the next two weeks making it thirty-nine.”

And Conductor #2 wrote:

“My situation is I am a total volunteer who gave up everything to make sure that what we started with this keeps on going against all odds. I have seen friends and work mates die in the line of duty. I have seen volunteers give up. I have kissed death. I have been ignored and forgotten many times. I have no job or any sort of income. Any risk I take there is no insurance whatsoever. I have some people here but they are as equally poor like me though they have a heart to help.”

“By Ugandan law I am a criminal so I have to fake identity to live another day. It’s not a party here. Every day we live is a gift.”

If you plan to donate to nonprofits for today’s Giving Tuesday – or if you can make tomorrow  Giving Wednesday or any day you can, please consider a donation to Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Fund to help us fund the work of these brave amazing Ugandan conductors who are risking everything to save the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in their country.

To get the 39 lesbian passengers with Conductor #1 out of  Uganda, it will cost $185 each, so $7,215.00.

Conductor #2 has more passengers in hiding in their care but owes the transporter over $12,000.00 for getting hundreds of LGBT passengers out of Uganda when there were emergency situations and no funds to pay for them. The transporter must be paid back.

One of our Quaker members is owed $1,964 which was for another emergency situation. And we owe our Friends Meeting $438.80.

Every dollar counts!

Please DONATE at:
http://friendsugandansafetransport.org/donate/

Note: Contributions to Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Fund through Olympia Monthly Meeting (Olympia Friends Meeting) are tax-deductible.  Olympia Monthly Meeting is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.  Cash and non-cash contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of applicable law.  Our Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 94-3145171.

Thank you,
Gabi Clayton
for Friends Ugandan Safe Transport Fund