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It's been over two weeks since Akila died and his family is barely sleeping. Their biggest wish now is to bring Akila's body home and give him a funeral.

On the morning of 30 June, tragedy struck in a club in Bucharest.

Akila was one of 10,000 Sri Lankans who moved to Romania on a work visa in 2023. He was 27 at the time and brought with him a wealth of experience, having worked as a chef in Sri Lankan hotels, and academic qualifications to prove his skills.

His partner describes him as a man who was not afraid to stand up for those around him and speak up for them, especially when they could not or dared not. A brave and confident man who helped his friends, who was a real support to his parents and siblings, and who put passion into his work. They had been together for nine years, during which time, she says, "he looked after me with great love. In his spare time, he liked to watch films."

It's been over two weeks since Akila died, and his family is barely sleeping. Their greatest wish now is to bring Akila's body home and give him a funeral.

But the repatriation costs are beyond their means. On the other hand, Akila, like most non-Europeans who move to Romania on a work visa, took out a large, high-interest loan to finance her journey and relocation. She was still paying back the loan when she left.

We are therefore launching this fundraising campaign to pay for the repatriation costs, helping Akila's family in Sri Lanka to bring their son/brother/partner home (≈ €4000). In addition to transporting the body, we also aim to raise the funds needed to support the family with the repayment of the outstanding balance of the bank loan (≈ €2500) for which Akila had secured the house. We note that this is a significant cost in Sri Lanka, where the average salary is approx. 1300 lei.

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Asian labourers are an increasingly numerous and vulnerable group in Romanian society. Although the Romanian government announces generous new quotas of foreign labour every year, it has not yet implemented any inclusion strategy for the tens of thousands of people coming to the country. State institutions do not organise free Romanian language courses, do not run cultural mediation programmes, do not provide information on rights, responsibilities, legislation or local culture, nor legal assistance in the many cases where they are victims of abuse by employers and others.

And yet many of them are the people who prepare our food in our favourite restaurants, pack it for the supermarket shelves and build cities for future generations.

This campaign is not just about Akila, but about all those who come to Romania in search of a better life and face invisible hardships. Let's show them we see them and we care.

EN:

Fundraising Campaign to Bring Akila Home

It has been over two weeks since Akila passed away, and his family barely sleeps. Their biggest wish now is to bring Akila's body back to Sri Lanka and give him a proper funeral.

On the morning of June 30th, a tragedy happened at a nightclub in Bucharest.

Akila was one of 10,000 Sri Lankans who moved to Romania with a work visa in 2023. He was 27 years old back then, and had valuable experience as a head chef in hotels back home, along with strong academic qualifications.

His partner describes him as a brave and confident man who stood up for those around him and spoke on their behalf, especially when they couldn't. They had been together for nine years, during which, she says, "he took care of me with much love. In his free time, he loved watching films."

It has been over two weeks since Akila passed away, and his family barely sleeps. Their biggest wish now is to bring Akila's body back to Sri Lanka and give him a proper funeral.

Unfortunately, the costs of repatriation are beyond their means. Akila, like many non-Europeans who move to Romania for work, took out a large loan with high interest to finance his trip and new life. He was still paying off this loan when he passed away.

We are launching this fundraising campaign to help cover the repatriation costs and assist Akila's family in Sri Lanka to bring their son/brother/partner home (≈ 4000 EUR) Besides transporting his body, we also want to raise funds to help repay the remaining bank loan (≈ 2500 EUR), which Akila guaranteed with the family home. This is a significant burden in Sri Lanka, where the average monthly salary is about 1300 lei.

**********************

Asian workers represent an increasingly large and vulnerable group in Romanian society. Although the Romanian government announces generous new quotas of foreign labour every year, it has yet to implement any inclusion strategy for the tens of thousands of people coming to the country. State institutions do not organise free Romanian language courses, do not run cultural mediation programs, do not provide information about rights, responsibilities, legislation, or local culture, nor do they offer legal assistance in the many cases where these workers fall victim to employer abuse and more.

Yet many of them are the people who prepare our food in our favourite restaurants, pack it for supermarket shelves, and build the cities for future generations.

This campaign is not just about Akila, but about all those who come to Romania seeking a better life and face invisible hardships. Let's show them that we see them and that we care.