Name: Abdul Wahab Hakimi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified,

Risk: At risk of being caught and killed by the Taliban if returned home.

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Abdul Wahab was a truck driver who used to deliver educational materials for schools and institutes in his village. After it was reported to the Taliban, they targeted Abdul, but mistakenly killed his friend.

Then, he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014. He got married in 2018, and he has been living in tents with his wife and their two years old baby without any support since 2019.

His hope now is to find five Canadian friends who can help him start his life again.

His Childhood

Abdul Wahab was born on January 1, 1987 in a small village in the Jaghori district of Ghazni province in Afghanistan. His town was located on the border of an area dominated by the Taliban and Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

He only studied till 5^th grade at school, then he left school due to a dangerous situation and his responsibility to support his family.

As a child, he worked with his father at their shop, and he worked as a tailor as well. Unfortunately, his father died when he was young.

The Incident That Changed his Life

Abdul Wahab sold his father’s shop and bought a small truck.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres due to their culture, religion, and love for education, and because Abdul Wahab used to deliver educational materials for institutes and schools from Ghazni, he was in more danger than anyone.

Also, he used to charge less for delivering materials for schools and institutes which made him an enemy of a Pashtun driver. The driver had strong arguments with Abdul several times for charging less for schools and institutes, and he threatened him that he would report his work to the Taliban.

On February 9, 2014 Abdul Wahab and his friend, another truck driver, were on their way from Ghazni to Jaghori delivering school materials. Abdul’s truck broke down on the way where he told his friend to drive his two passengers, a man and his wife to their village. Unfortunately, the Pashtun driver, who later turned out to be a member of the Taliban, had already reported Abdul to the Taliban.

“While being on their way, my friend and two passengers were captured by the Taliban, and my friend was killed by them.”

The man and his wife were released by the Taliban because their target was Abdul Wahab, and they killed Wahab’s friend thinking it was him.

After 4 hours, the representative of Ghazni to Jaghori called Abdul and told him what had happened.

“He warned me not to return to Jaghori because the Taliban was looking for me, and I was so scared at that moment.”

The next day, the Pashtun driver called Abdul and threatened him again that he would be killed by them.

Abdul sold his truck in Ghazni, then he fled to Kabul. He had realized that he was no longer safe in his country.

His Way to Indonesia

He arranged for a people smuggler, and on February 27, 2014 he flew to New Delhi, India. from there, he flew to Malaysia, and he arrived in Indonesia by boat on March 13, 2014.

His Life in Limbo

“After I left home, my mother and my nephew, whose parents had died in a car accident before, moved to Pakistan at my sister’s house. Being far from them, I am helpless to do anything for my family.”

Abdul lived in Bogor for five years where he got married to Kimkha Mozaffari in 2018.

They now have a cute baby boy whose name is Owen Hakimi.

His Life Now

With no right to work or way to support himself, Abdul and his family moved in front of the UNHCR office, then they were transferred to a shelter where they don’t have any facility.

They are living in tents with their child who is only 2 years old.

“I feel so embarrassed when my child tries to speak and ask me for food and toy. I am helpless here.”

Abdul finds it so difficult for his child to sleep inside tents in the hot weather of Jakarta. He dreams of a life where he can work and support his family.

There is a way

As a UNHCR refugee, Abdul Wahab and his family are eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. there is a way for him to fulfill his dream and live in a place where he can support his family.

To help support Abdul Wahab as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to Abdul Wahab directly on Facebook.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good person to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

Thank you for your support. And help spread the word by sharing this post!