Ashley's mother starts BackaBuddy campaign

Update

GEORGE NEWS - In a plea for justice and support, Lynn Blignaut has launched a BackaBuddy campaign to help her daughter, Ashley Oosthuizen (26), who has been imprisoned in Thailand since 2020 for a crime she insists she did not commit.

Lynn is seeking financial assistance to cover ongoing legal expenses and daily necessities as they continue to fight for Ashley's freedom.

Ashley moved to Thailand in 2018 to pursue a career as an English teacher. Her life took a drastic turn in October 2020 when she was arrested at her workplace after accepting a package addressed to someone else, which was later found to contain MDMA.

Despite maintaining her innocence, Ashley was initially sentenced to death, a penalty that was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. In 2022, her sentence was further reduced to 33.4 years.

In 2022, Lynn relocated to Thailand to be closer to her daughter and to advocate for her release. Due to visa restrictions, Lynn is unable to work, and her savings are running low.

Besides her living costs, she has to cover Ashley's prison expenses, which includes necessities not provided by the prison, such as food, toiletries, and bottled water.

Where will the money go?

The funds raised through the BackaBuddy campaign are intended to cover Ashley's monthly expenses of about R8 500, which includes R4 000 for her prison account to cover essentials, R4 500 for a special food menu to ensure better nutrition, R900 for online letters, R400 for fuel, and R1 900 every three months for books.

Lynn approximated her living expenses at R9 300, of which R3 800 is for rent, R4 400 for groceries and essentials and R1 100 for reliable transport in Thailand.

"Any additional funds will be allocated toward future legal fees, Ashley's travel expenses upon release, visa-related costs, and other unforeseen expenses that may arise during this challenging period," says Lynn.

How to support

You can make a recurring donation for consistent monthly support, which would significantly impact Ashley's daily life and help Lynn's ongoing efforts in Thailand, or you can make a one-off payment into the BackaBuddy account.

Scan the QR code to visit Ashley's BackaBuddy page.