Name: Ahmad Faiyazi
Background: Hazara refugee in Indonesia
Status: full UNHCR refugee Indonesia
Risk of return: Persecution, life threats and death.
Need: Five friends to sponsor me to Canada
Friend in Canada: Stephen Watt
Advantages : Fluent English skills, volunteer teaching experience, UN-certified, helping other refugee fellows as an interpreter and helper. FULLY FUNDED.

UPDATE: Success! Group of 5 sponsors and all funding in place.

When the Taliban came to know about Ahmad Faiyazi that he was an English teacher, they attacked at his place, and fortunately, he was somewhere else. After he heard the fate of other English teachers by the hand of the Taliban, he fled to Indonesia in January 2014.

While living in a detention centre and being treated as a prisoner, he did his best for his community. He has been volunteering as an interpreter and an English teacher. He hopes now to find five Canadian friends who can help him start his life again in Canada and have more opportunities to be more helpful for society.

And while he's too modest to say it, note that Ahmad, who is a skilled graphic and web designer, posted this profile AND EVERY SINGLE other refugee profile on this website. Through his efforts, many other refugees have been sponsored. He deserves a chance too. Let this be his turn!

His story, His words

I am Ahmad Faiyazi from Afghanistan. I was born in a Hazara ethnic family.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacre and even genocide by the Taliban and Pashtoon neighbors.

Those days in 1996, again after a major attack on our village from groups of Kochi (Pashtoon tribes) and local Taliban who were from our neighbouring Pashtoon villagers, my village got occupied by them forever and my family got displaced and sought refuge to Iran to survive.

In Iran

“I tried my best to study till I finished high school, and besides that, my father encouraged me to learn the English language so I would be a useful and helpful person to those who need help in my society."

I had been living in Iran as a refugee for about 17 years and for not having legal status in the country, I and my father were caught and arrested by the Iranian police for living there, and we got deported to Afghanistan in October 2013.

In Afghanistan

After arriving in my village, I opened an English class for villager’s kids, although I heard it would become so dangerous if the Taliban came to know about it, but I didn’t take it seriously.

In November 2013, I was out that evening, when the Taliban attacked to kill me for teaching the English language which they call the language of infidels in mosques.

After hearing the fate of other English teachers, I understood that I would be killed by the Taliban if I stayed there, so some of my father’s friends helped me to escape from there to stay alive.

“I felt profoundly sad and disappointed that I had to leave my beloved motherland again.”

Life in Indonesia as a refugee

After I left Afghanistan in December 2013, I had to spent around 24 days in India, and as I arrived in Indonesia in January 2014, I ended up in the Pontianak Detention Centre, one of the worst detention centres in Indonesia.

Being prisoned in the detention centre just for trying to remain alive and finding a home without committing any crime for 18 months was destructive for me both physically and mentally which is still taking its toll.

In the detention centre, I found many nice friends that helped me to survive in that dire situation.

I wanted to be useful and helpful to these nice people, so I tried to serve as a focal point and interpreter for my refugee fellows to connect with refugees and support agencies.

“I wanted to use my time wisely to help and give back. I started an English class for some of my friends who had begun learning the language from scratch.”

Self-improvement

After I got transferred to a community house in Makassar city in July 2015, I focused on the improvement of my soft skills, job skills and personal abilities.

Attending vocational training courses like tailoring course, excavator operator course, forklift course helped me to cope with distress and mental pressures.

Fading hope

In August 2018, the UNHCR announced to us that we may stay in Indonesia as a refugee with no basic human right for 20 years or more if not forever.

Now, despite mental difficulties like distress, insomnia, isolation and frustration, I am dealing with a lot of physical problems and sicknesses which have mental and emotional roots.

Why support me in particular?

The goodness of my society and refugee fellows were always my priority.

“Being helpful to my current society and my future society is always my joy because it makes me feel valuable and useful.”

One of my goals is to help those who are stuck in limbo in Indonesia with the same fate as me.

Your support and help give me this opportunity to find more nice people like you and connect them to help my other friends in Indonesia.

My dreams

I have so much more to offer this world than wasting 20 years as a refugee. My goals is to pursue higher education, have a safe place and live without facing prejudice and fear there. My motto is this:

“Never stop learning and growing even when you are in the worst situation ever. The amount of time you have will never return.”

Having communication with friends and different people made me wiser than I used to be. One of those amazing friends of mine is Stephen Watt.

If you are interested in joining the team of my sponsors, you can reach out to me directly on Facebook, or contact Stephen Watt in Canada.

One additional note from Stephen: This guy is admired by many, including me. Among other things, he's an web designer - he built all these profiles! Ask around - he's a true helper and humanitarian. Let's bring him here!

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Wishing you happiness and the very best in your life.