Refugee shares hope to relocate family to Phoenix through sponsorship program

A refugee has hopes and dreams to bring his family to Phoenix through Welcome Corps, a service opportunity that allows refugees to be sponsored by Americans and resettle in the United States.

Wayi Aguer, 23, is originally from South Sudan, but has lived as a refugee in countries such as Egypt, Uganda and Israel. Aguer shared that throughout his life, he had to migrate for his safety, and at times, he was unsure if he and his family would survive.

His family is currently located in Uganda and they have been since the outbreak of the South Sudanese Civil War in 2013. His brothers are receiving education assistance from Become and his mother works as a nanny. But as the oldest brother, he said he feels a deep responsibility to provide a better life for them.

He chose Phoenix because his mom's cousin lives in the city and also lived with them while they were in Israel, so Aguer is hopeful they will be able to help his mom better integrate into society.

Aguer is optimistic about his family's resettlement.

"It's very scary to hand in [the application] and then wait and then you get rejected on something small, or something unexpected happens, but I've always been optimistic, and I think I'll continue to be optimistic," Aguer said. "Me and my friends are determined to make this happen. It might take a little bit of time."

'Where they don't feel like they need to run away'

A year ago, Aguer said he had the opportunity to learn about Welcome Corps.

"The moment I saw that was a possibility, I really really wanted to relocate my mom and my brothers, give them a different life," Aguer said. "Maybe put them in a place that is more stable where they don't feel like they need to run away every moment, where you need to feel like you need to pack everything and be ready to go at a moment's notice."

To complete the application, Aguer must raise approximately $2,145 per person and present a plan to the administration detailing their schooling, healthcare arrangements, accommodation, and potential employment. Additionally, he needs to secure sponsors to help raise the necessary funds.

Thanks to "generous people," Aguer said the fundraising stage is nearly complete. They now aim to apply along with the plan. Once submitted, the entire process could take anywhere from six months to two years to complete.

'We have three chances to get you to Israel'

Aguer was born in Sudan during the second Sudanese Civil War. He said his family decided Sudan was no longer a safe place for them, so they decided to move to Egypt when he was around one year old.

In Egypt, Aguer said there was no war, but there was a lot of tension and the South Sudanese refugee community felt it was being neglected by the Egyptian government.

"I remember one time we went to protest against the treatment of refugees in Egypt and the Egyptian government responded by basically sending in anti-riot police and from a group of 200 protesters, 75 ended up dead," Aguer said. "It was a very violent episode."

Aguer said his mother thought the best way to ensure their safety was to move to Israel. They walked through the Sinai desert from Egypt to Israel. When he was six years old, he woke up on a dark alley road in Egypt, where a Bedouin with a pickup truck loaded everyone inside, covering them with vegetables to help them cross the border.

They arrived at a house in the middle of the desert and the man told them the plan.

"We are going to try to get you to Israel," Aguer said the Bedouin told them. "We have three chances to get you to Israel because we cannot take you back to Egypt. If you do not make it on your third try we're going to have to shoot you since we can't take you back."

They started walking from the desert into Israel. Aguer said they walked mainly at night so they would not be shot by the Egyptian Army. The first night they tried, they did not reach their destination due to a member in their group experiencing back pain. The second night they did not reach their destination because Aguer's legs were hurting him so bad he was screaming in pain. The Bedouin said they could not continue because the Egyptian Army may be on the lookout for them.

On the third night, they made it to Israel.

"I just remember everyone smiling and happy and full of euphoria and I didn't understand why," Aguer said. "And they said, oh yeah we got to Israel, we are now in a safer place."

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'Just chaos, chaos'

After arriving in Israel, Aguer and his family spent a month in a refugee camp before being transferred to the city. They lived in Israel from 2007 to 2011. However, in 2011, when South Sudan gained independence, Israel wanted to repatriate the refugees.

Aguer and his family were sent back to South Sudan, where they soon realized the education system was underdeveloped due to the country’s recent independence. Aguer attended school in Uganda but returned to South Sudan for Christmas, only for another civil war to erupt. Consequently, he and his family had to seek refuge in a UN camp.

"And I would remember stray bullets spilling into the camp and it would kill a kid or it would shoot someone in the head or something," Aguer said. "Just chaos, chaos."

Aguer said they had the chance to run away to Uganda where they all became refugees again. Aguer applied to a school in Israel where he got a scholarship. He is currently studying In Israel through a program called Become and is enrolled at Reichman University studying Government and Sustainability.

Now, he wants his family to have more opportunities.

Aguer created a GoFundMe with the help of his friend Ben Vorspan to help raise the money needed for his family to resettle in Phoenix.

Vorspan met Aguer while working for an organization called Become. Although Vorspan currently lives in Boston, he spent several years in Jerusalem, as well as in Madagascar, Cameroon, and Kenya. During his time in Jerusalem, he worked on initiatives to help refugees and asylum seekers navigate life there.

Vorspan said he has "had the honor" to work with Aguer and his group of sponsors to prepare logistics for the process of resettling his family.

Jesse Clements, 26, a friend of Aguer's, met him when they were both working for a camp in 2020 called the Leuthi Peterson Camp. Through email, Clements said Leuthi Peterson Camp started in 1949 as a way to promote peace between children in Europe by having them camp together and share their culture. Clements lives in Berkley and is an associate elementary school teacher in California.

Clements has helped connect Aguer to some Americans she knows who have been able to donate money or sponsor him.

Clements said Aguer was adored by the kids at the camp and was one of the favorite staff members.

"I enjoy connecting with humans because of my refugee upbringing I ended up in so many countries and in so many different cultures and different languages and that kind of taught me how to see the beauty in the differences of each culture or each person I come across," Aguer said.

Vorspan described Aguer as brilliant, quick-witted, motivated, thoughtful and a kid. He said he is probably just like anyone else close to you, if those people are kind, smart and ambitious.

Clements said Aguer was hard working and would often go to study for exams after full workdays which ended around 10 or 11 at night. She also said he was kind.

"I had a hard summer for personal reasons outside of camp, and Wayi was just the most gentle and kind and understanding person to be working with," Clements said. "I have a lot of gratitude and love for him.'

How to help refugees

Refugees are pillars of the community, in the words of Aguer. He said people should be willing to let refugees integrate and be of help to their new communities.

"Seeing where these communities can help the Phoenix community. I'm sure there's places where they could help," Aguer said. "And maybe not immediately, but with time they could be pillars of the community itself."

As a refugee, Aguer has experienced people who don't want refugees around and are racist, but he has also experienced welcoming people who showed empathy. He said resettlement is hard but can be done.

To help those looking to resettle or to better understand refugees, Vorspan said people should empathize with what they have been through and acknowledge it can happen to anyone. He suggested donating to those who need it.

"Understand that the only thing that differentiates refugees - and the profoundly difficult lives they live - and non-refugees is the luck to have been born with a passport from a country that offers stability and safety," Vorpsan said. "And that leaving home, no matter how dangerous or conflict-ridden it is, is [a] deeply painful process.

Clements said she believes a right "to a safe harbor" should not be about worthiness, but rather just be a right. But she said she was moved by Aguer's story and said everyone must have their own.

To help out, Clements suggested people donate to his GoFundMe. She said raising money is a requirement to apply for the refugee visa he is applying for and is essential.

Clements said people need to support politicians and policies that make it possible for refugees to resettle.

Aguer said he can't come with his mother and brothers to Phoenix because the application requires all the applicants to live in the same country. He said he is not sure what is in the future for him, aside from completing his master's degree in Germany. He said he learned to be independent, but he misses and loves his mom and would love to be reunited.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Wayi Aguer wants to relocate family from Uganda to Phoenix