Name: Abdullah Mirzayie

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UNHCR certified, good English skills, experienced as a chef

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

AMBITIONS FOR A BETTER WORLD

Abdullah was intercepted and captured by the Taliban but succeeded in escaping. He had no choice but to leave his family behind and flee to Indonesia. Despite living in a detention center for more than three years and facing a health problem, Abdullah has kept his hopes up and has spent his time learning and exercising. He needs a group of five Canadian friends who can help him to start a new life in Canada.

Childhood

Abdullah was born in 1989, in a village in the Behsud district of the Maidan Wardak province in Afghanistan, an area with a Hazara majority. As a child, Abdullah worked with his father on their farm.

The takeover

The Hazara people in Afghanistan have long been targets of persecution and massacres and have experienced ongoing genocide because of their ethnicity and religious and political beliefs. Abdullah’s district was attacked once a year by Pashtun Kochi tribes who supported the Taliban and were attempting to take over the area.

Abdullah’s father sent him to his uncle’s home, which was in another village that was safer from attacks. Abdullah started working with a truck driver who was transporting goods. On June 7, 2014, he heard from his uncle that his father had been killed by the Pashtun people.

“I was shocked and devastated by the news of my father’s death. I felt guilty about him because I left him behind.”

Tortured and detained

Abdullah’s uncle didn’t let him go back to his village because he was worried that he would be killed by the Pashtun. So Abdullah continued working with the truck driver. While on the road, on June 20, Abdullah and the truck driver were intercepted by some members of the Taliban. They searched the truck and found rations from foreign companies. After they tortured Abdullah and the driver, they tied their wrists and took them to a house that was not far from the road.

“I was sure they would kill us, so we decided to escape at night.”

When they found themselves alone at night, Abdullah and the driver untied their hands and escaped out a broken window. Abdullah lost sight of the truck driver while running, but he reached the road alone and made his way to Kabul. The next day, he called his uncle, who told him that he had to leave the country; otherwise, the Taliban would find him and kill him. His uncle arranged a people smuggler.

Fleeing to Indonesia

On July 11, 2014, Abdullah flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India, and stayed there for a month. Then, he flew to Kuala Lumpur on August 1, and stayed in a safe house for three weeks. On August 22, he and some other refugees arrived in Medan, Indonesia, by boat. On August 26, he arrived in Bogor, and he was registered at the UNHCR office on September 1, 2014.

In Indonesia

In Bogor, Abdullah had no right to work and support himself, so he made his way to Makassar and arrived there on September 20, 2014. He slept on the street for four months. Finally, on January 20, 2015, he was transferred to the detention center in Makassar.

Abdullah has suffered a lot from back pain. He is not able to treat it because he doesn’t have access to proper health care. Despite facing many hardships, he continued attending the English classes that were being held by his fellow refugees in the detention center. He also kept doing exercises to help ease his back pain.

Abdullah got his refugee status in January 2017. In July 2018, Abdullah was released from the detention center and was transferred to a community house.

His ambitions

“I'm enthusiastic to learn new things, acquire new skills, and help the world. Unfortunately, none of my ambitions are possible here living as a refugee.”

Abdullah is an excellent chef, especially when it comes to Afghani cuisines. He is eager to teach his skills to others, but it’s not possible at the moment.

Refugees in Indonesia have been told by the UNHCR that they will most likely never be resettled. This is especially true for single men, as women and families are prioritized for UNHCR sponsored resettlement. Integration in Indonesia is also not an option. Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention so refugees’ rights are not protected, hence they cannot work or access formal education. They live in a state of permanent limbo: they cannot go back nor move forward

”I believe that the world is a good place to live if we're kind and helpful to one another.”

An opportunity

Abdullah can fulfill his dreams and learn the skills he needs to be part of creating a good world. All he needs is a group of citizens to bring him to Canada. As a UNHCR refugee, Abdullah is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

If you would like to sponsor Abdullah – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring him here – please contact his friend Stephen Watt.

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

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