Esther Karinge
A congressional committee is considering a private bill that would give a Kenyan woman living in Medford permanent residency in the United States so she can take care of her ailing, US-born son.
The bill, filed this year on behalf of Esther Karinge by US Representative Ed Markey, Democrat of Malden, was scheduled to be heard yesterday in the House Committee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
According to Markey’s office, Karinge, 49, came to the United States in 1994 but was denied asylum a few years later. She has been granted stays of removal in one-year increments to take care of her son, Nicholas, who was born in 1995 with birth defects. He suffers from several severe physical and mental disabilities, including cerebral palsy and hearing loss.
The boy’s doctors believe he would not receive needed care if he and his mother were sent to Kenya.
“The story of Esther Karinge and her son, Nicholas, is one of the most compelling and extraordinary cases that has ever been brought before my office,’’ Markey said in a statement. “With the introduction of a private relief bill on Esther’s behalf in this Congress, I will continue to work to ensure that Esther and her son remain together as a family in the United States, where Esther will be able to care for Nicholas and where Nicholas will have uninterrupted access to the medical treatment he needs to thrive.’’
Markey has filed a bill on Karinge’s behalf every session since 2003.
ABOUT ESTHER KARINGE
Esther Karinge has worked for more than 10 years advocating for, and inspiring, special needs children and their families, as well as assisting immigrants and refugees with vital resources. A paraprofessional in the Medford Public School system, she currently works with elementary age special needs students.
She was also the program coordinator of the African’s Women’s Program of the Refugee Immigration Ministry (RIM) of Malden, and coordinated a biweekly program for 32 African women who were resettling into the Greater Boston area. Esther has inspired many with her efforts in establishing a speaker’s bureau around community resources such as immigration issues, health care, mental health and how to start a new business.
She is fluent in English, Swahili, Kikuyu and other African languages and is experienced in working with a diverse, multicultural population.
Esther has given back to her community as a community fundraiser and event organizer. For three years, she organized RIM’s International Dinner, a fundraiser and cooking event attended by 350 people. She also coordinated RIM’s Cluster Dinner.
Esther is currently a Board member at the Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. and Family Voices. She volunteers for New England Serves and Family Ties. She serves as a member of the Disability Committee for the Episcopal Dioceses of Massachusetts and has been a vestry member of St Paul’s Episcopal Parish and Board chairman of St John’s Evangelist Church, Kenyan Community. She is a certified spiritual caregiver in the Prison Ministry Program and is trained in crisis trauma management, nursing and advocacy for special needs. In 2005, she received a Leadership Award from St John’s Evangelist Church.
Esther was educated in Kenya where she attended St. Theresa’s High School and Valley College in Nairobi. She had a thriving business in Kenya as the owner of a boutique and was the primary breadwinner for her family. She was forced to flee Kenya in 1994 due to rising political unrest, leaving behind her parents, siblings and oldest son.
Through the help of Congressman Edward Markey and many friends and community members, she has applied for permanent residency in the U.S. after initially being denied political asylum.
Esther is motivated by her need to help others and seeing people “overcome their struggles.” She feels it is an important part of her identity to give back to her community and make a difference. This proud mother of two sons, Nicholas and Paul, is inspired when she sees others she has helped “grow and change and gain confidence in themselves.” Her strongest motivator, however, has been her son, Nicholas. Together they have learned that being disabled does not have to limit your choices or your dreams. They have learned to overcome extreme adversity and used their lives as a positive example for others to follow.
Esther was nominated by Diane Portnoy, Director of the Immigrant Learning Center in Malden.
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