Reunification a struggle for Refugee
July 20, 2008
Losi Therese Grodya, a Congolese refugee lives in Lexington with her son Olivier Grodya. Immigration visas for five of her six children, her father and one grandchild waiting in refugee camps in Rwanda are being held up after the government denied applications citing the “material support ban”.
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Monday morning I was completely shocked to read that Losi Grodya’s five young daughters are not being allowed to immigrate to the United States because of suspicion that they are helping terrorists.
I became acquainted with Losi several months ago through one of her two full-time jobs, and my heart continues to go out to her and her family.
Losi is a very sincere, kind, caring, and hardworking person, and her story is one of horrendous sorrow, tough times, and tears. She and her family have been on the prayer list at my church since the day she first told me about her children who are presently living in a refugee camp in Rwanda.
Refugees in Rwanda live in an extremely dangerous situation and are subjected daily to poverty, sexual assault, and beatings.
Clearly, Losi’s children are merely victims of the terrible war in Congo and are not co-conspirators of terrorists. As they face unimaginable horrors everyday, they have to do whatever they are forced to do in order to survive the situation—just like any individual in a hostage or victim situation has to do.
The law that bars these young, traumatized girls from escaping a place of genocide, violence and conflict in order to be re-united with other family members who only want to love and protect them, surely needs to be narrowed and re-defined.
I hope this seven-year-long nightmare will soon end for Losi. There has to be a light at the end of this tunnel for her.
Amanda Shannon