Name: Ahmad Reza Mirzaie

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, educated, good English skills.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After Ahmad Reza and his friends were captured by two members of the Taliban, they got the chance and escaped from them, but Ahmad Reza knew that he wasn’t safe in Afghanistan anymore so he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

He spent more than two years in a detention centre, and then he moved to Jakarta where he found some kind friends and they provided him shelter and his basic needs.

He now needs a group of Canadian friends to come to Canada where he can pursue his education, live peacefully and help society.

His Early Life

Ahmad Reza Mirzaie was born on January 1, 1995 in a village of the Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He was always encouraged by his family to pursue his education. The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. Ahmad Reza was a medical student at the university.

The Dangerous Way

In September 2014, Ahmad Reza got a semester break and he couldn’t stay at the university so he had to visit his family. Also, he was so scared of being stopped by the Taliban because of being a university student. Fortunately, no one stopped him on his way to his village, and while returning to Kabul with his university mates, they saw two persons on a motorcycle approaching them.

“We were very confused and suspected that they were the Taliban. When they got close to us, they stopped our car and ordered us to get out of the car.”

After seizing their mobiles, ID cards, and other belongings, the Taliban threatened them to death and accused them of cooperating with the government. One of the Taliban started searching the car while the other one was standing a little far from them.

Escaped

One of Ahmad’s friends got a chance and attacked the Taliban who was searching the car. When the other saw them attacking his friend, he escaped with his motorcycle. Then, they tied him up with his turban and ran back to Jaghori.

“I knew that I was no longer safe in Afghanistan. I was so scared and after several days, my brother asked a trustworthy driver to take me to Ghazni from an alternative path (Nahor path).”

His Way to Indonesia

From Ghazni, he went to Kabul. With the help of his friend, he arranged for a people smuggler, and he flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India on September 18, 2014. After staying there for six days, he flew to Malaysia and stayed there for six days. On September 27, 2014, he arrived in Indonesia by boat. After arriving in Jakarta on September 30, he registered himself at the UNHCR office on October 1 and then stayed in Bogor for two weeks.

His Struggles in Limbo

With no right to work or way to support himself, he headed to a detention center in Manado City. The detention centre was full so they moved him and some other refugees to a temporary place to stay where they had a lot of problems regarding hygiene and food,

“Those were the most difficult days for us. We had to sleep on the bare floor in the yard and no one paid attention to our aggravating circumstance.”

There, he found some nice Christian friends who cared about him, so he stared following them and taking ablution with them.

“When I was transferred to the detention center, the circumstances were tougher there and no one in the authority cared about us.”

Due to being deprived of proper food and health care, Ahmad Reza got sick and started suffering from severe pain in his back and high blood pressure. On August 24, 2016 he got interviewed by the UNHCR and five months later, he got his refugee status.

His Life in Jakarta

In January 2017, he got permission from the immigration and moved to Jakarta where he started working in a garden, and in return, they provided him a place to sleep and food for living.

Later on, Ahmad Reza started learning the English language at Roshan Learning Centre where he found many Christian friends who were volunteers at an orphanage.

“After my friends knew my condition, they provided me a shelter and necessities. I experienced a change of heart and transformation in my life because of the love and grace I received unconditionally.”

Ahmad Reza and his friends also got involved in distributing food and masks to poor people with keeping and maintaining the safety protocol during covid 19.

The Last Word

As UNHCR refugees, Ahmad Reza is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. He needs a group of five Canadian friends to support him.

To help support Ahmad Reza as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to Ahmad Reza 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!

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