Fw: [LLO] URGENT Help Needed for Columbian Refugees

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg at tin.it>]

 (please forward)

 Forwarded by permission of the author. If you think you can help please
 email Derek at Derek.Kunsken at dfait-maeci.gc.ca

 Andy
 ----------
 From: Derek.Kunsken at dfait-maeci.gc.ca
 Subject:  Refugee Crunch


 Hi Everybody,

 I really, really apologize for the following misuse of this list, but I'm
in

 a bind and trying to save lives.  As you know, I'm at the Embassy in
 Colombia, selecting refugees to resettle in Canada.

 The situation is getting worse and worse and today at 3:30pm, I found out
we

 lost our third refugee in 6 months (one was killed after I interviewed him
 in the fall, another was killed 2 weeks ago before he got to interview, and
 this one left hiding to say goodbye to his mother in anticipation of his
 visa and was killed this week).  The government-provided spots are running
 out and there doesn't seem to be much of a way to get more, as our office
 already holds almost 10% of Canada's total supply and its gone up 700% in 2
 years.

 Headquarters said we could try to get sponsorships.

 Sponsorships are groups of 5 families, or corporations, or churchs, or
 NGO's, or whatever, who commit to providing the basics for a refugee or a
 refugee family for 1-2 years.  We have such a large flow that I can even
 tailor the family to your community by specific skills (you want farmers,
 business people, engineers, programmers)?

 I am not asking any of you to sponsor anybody. I would
 appreciate it if you could send me any names and contact info of anybody
you
 could think of who may be interested and capable of nucleating a so-called
 "group of five".  Churches and NGO's are also excellent sources.  Once I
 have the contact info, I'll do all the work (beg/sell/coerce/etc).

 Every sponsorship I can get is another refugee or refugee family I can
 evacuate.

 I apologize again for cluttering this List.  To prevent any further
 cluttering, please reply directly to Derek.Kunsken at dfait-maeci.gc.ca.

 Thanks.  Tomorrow my day begins by calling every catholic priest in the
 Gaspe peninsula.

 Derek
 Bogota