Hey comrades :) <3!!!!… I hope you’ve all been doing well.

It’s been a while and it’s honestly so nice to be back here with you again.

Me and the other girls who are still in Juba have been doing okay lately. Things aren’t perfect but we’ve been getting through things day by day.

I’ve also missed being here and talking with everyone. There have been so many times when I wanted to come back and tell you what was happening and there’s actually quite a lot I’ve been meaning to share.

I know some of you have probably been wondering where we are now and what’s happening with our resettlement to Canada.

About two weeks ago, I received an email from the Canadian Embassy here in Juba regarding the temporary Ebola-related border measures which have been extended until September 28.

After receiving that information, I felt like I needed to speak up.

I wrote to the Canadian Embassy and IRCC on behalf of refugees who have already been approved for resettlement to Canada and are currently in South Sudan waiting for travel arrangements and flights.

I explained that many of us have already completed most of the resettlement process and are simply waiting for the opportunity to finally leave. At the same time, many refugees here continue to live with insecurity, instability, limited access to basic services and difficult living conditions.

I also explained how the continued uncertainty is affecting people who have already been waiting for a long time, including refugees whose medical examinations and travel arrangements have already been affected by delays.

I respectfully asked whether refugees who are already approved and ready to travel could be given some kind of humanitarian consideration or alternative arrangement while still following whatever health measures Canadian authorities consider necessary.

So far, I haven’t received a response.

For now, we’re still waiting and trying to understand what the next step will be. I don’t want to give anyone false hope or pretend that we know when we’ll be travelling.

We simply don’t know yet.

But I wanted you all to know that we are still here, still following up and still trying to find a way forward.

There’s also something happening here that I really don’t want to leave out.

A few days ago, eight queer refugees arrived in Gorom from Kakuma refugee camp Kenya.

They’re currently staying at the reception area and honestly, they’re already going through a lot.

They don’t have proper safe shelter. Food is a big problem and they’re also lacking basic things like clothes, blankets, sleeping mats and medicine.

Most of them are also on ARVs, so having reliable access to their medication is especially important.

UNHCR has registered them but they’re still waiting for their legal documents.

These are some of the eight people who recently arrived in Gorom.

It’s difficult seeing new people arrive after everything we’ve already been through ourselves and knowing that they’re immediately facing many of the same struggles …trying to find somewhere safe to sleep, something to eat and access to basic necessities.

I really wanted comrades to know about them too. I don’t want the people who have just arrived to be forgotten.

For now, I mainly wanted to come back, reconnect with everyone and let you know where things stand on our side.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty but we’re here. We’re taking things one day at a time and continuing to look for a way forward.

Thank you for still being here with us after all this time. Thank you for continuing to care, check in and stand with us through all these different chapters of our journey.

It means more than I can put into words.

With love , Onandrah