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Profile: Hazara refugees from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.
Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, Ali Dost is an experienced bricklayer, tiler, driver and construction worker, his wife Hakima is a cook and handicraft person, FULLY FUNDED.
Risk: At risk of being tortured and killed by the Taliban if returned home.
Canadian contact: Stephen Watt
Ali Dost was 14 years old when his father was killed by the Taliban for being a Hazara man. He then escaped from there to save his life. Since 2014, he and his family have been living in Indonesia where they do not have access to their basic human rights.
Ali Dost is an experienced bricklayer, tiler and driver, and his wife Hakima is a talented cook and has handicraft skills. They are Fully Funded and need a group of Canadian friends who can sponsor them to Canada where they can live with freedom.
His Story
Ali Dost Sharifi was born on January 1, 1985, in Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He belongs to a Hazara ethnic group who have been victims of genocide by the Taliban for decades. He was young when his father was killed by some members of the Taliban who were their neighbors too. Sensing that he would be killed by them in any way, he escaped to Iran illegally in 1999, and he was only 14 years old at that time.
“Instead of getting an education at my young age, I was compelled to work to survive.”
In Iran, he worked as a tiler, bricklayer and constructor. Due to not having legal status to stay in the country, he was arrested by the Iranian police and deported to Afghanistan in 2008. In that same year, he got married to a Hazara girl named Hakima, and due to facing threats from the Taliban, he immigrated to Quetta, Pakistan with his family.
Seeking Asylum
In Pakistan, Ali Dost worked as a construction worker and his wife Hakima did handcrafts to survive. Since they did not have legal documents to stay and work officially there, they struggled a lot to survive. On the other hand, the security situation in Quetta was getting worse for the Hazara people. The number of target killings and bomb attacks on the Hazara people was increasing. Ali Dost and his family were not safe there nor they could return to Afghanistan. After he decided to move to Indonesia and ask for help from the UNHCR in Indonesia, he arranged for a people smuggler with the help of some kind friends.
Their Way to Indonesia
In September 2017, he and his family went to Kabul, Afghanistan where they stayed hidden. On November 1, 2017, they flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India. From there, they went to Malaysia and then on to Bandung, Indonesia by plane on November 2, 2017.
Life in Indonesia
After arriving in Jakarta, Ali Dost and his family registered themselves with the UNHCR on November 4, 2017. With no right to work or way to support themselves in Indonesia, they went to Kalideres Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. After about 10 days, they were transferred to a hotel in Jakarta Kota where they stayed for about six months. Then they were transferred to a community house in Jakarta.
Last Word
As refugees, Ali Dost and his family are not permitted to work, get proper education, drive and even open a bank account. Despite facing such restrictions, Ali Dost, his wife and their children have been learning the English language through an online class. He says:
“I always encourage my kids to learn English and more skills, but I am concerned about their future because they have been deprived of their basic rights.”
How to Help This Family?
Since Ali Dost and his family are officially certified as refugees by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – they qualify for Canada’s private sponsorship program. Another good thing about this beautiful family is that they are FULLY FUNDED.
If you would like to sponsor them – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring them here – please contact their friend Stephen Watt on Facebook.
You can reach out to Ali Dost Sharifi directly on Facebook – or by email: alidostsharifi1@gmail.com – or through WhatsApp: +62 895-1747-3149.
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!
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