Name: Amin Akbari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, house painter, skillful hairdresser and chef.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Amin was a child when his family fled to Pakistan for their safety. Unfortunately, he could not live in peace there either. He was threatened to death by the extremist group and that caused him to escape to Indonesia in 2014.

While living in Indonesia as a refugee, he volunteered for a number of good works. His hope now is to find a group of Canadian friends who can help him start his life again in Canada.

His Story

Amin Akbari’s parents were living in the Jaghori district in Ghazni. Since they did love marriage, they were forced to leave their village and escape to Khas Uruzgan district in Uruzgan for their safety. Amin Akbari was born on January 1, 1998 in a village in the Khas Uruzgan district.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres due to their culture, religion, and love for education. Amin was a child when the Taliban attacked his village and threatened his whole family to death, so his father decided to leave Afghanistan and they migrated to Quetta, Pakistan in 2000.

Life in Pakistan

He studied till 4th class in Firdausi High School, and then he continued working as a Painter.

Due to the Hazara genocide and target killings in Pakistan, his job was badly affected and he started a street food Stall in the marketplace called Meezan Chowk. He was then threatened to death by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to move his stall and never come back there again. On September 19, 2014, he went somewhere to bring goods for his stall. When he came back, he saw all his tools and stall thrown on the road by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. The extremist group had told his neighbors that he would be killed by them if he returned there.

“After witnessing this horrifying scene, I ran away from there to my home.”

Journey to Indonesia

Amin Akbari knew that he was no longer safe in Pakistan nor he could go back to Afghanistan due to the security issue. He then decided to seek a safe place to live, so he arranged for a people smuggler, and on September 20, 2014 he was sent to Kabul, Afghanistan where he stayed hidden for 20 days. After his documents got ready, he flew to New Delhi, India on October 10, 2014 and stayed there for 4 days. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Medan, Indonesia by boat on October 16, 2014.

Detention Centre

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR on October 21, 2014. With no right to work or way to support himself, he went to Balikpapan Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. Later on, he was transferred to a detention centre that was overcrowded, and refugees did not have access to proper food, enough water or a decent place to sleep.

“It was a very difficult time for me because I was uncertain about my freedom.”

While living there, Amin Akbari learned the English language from other refugee volunteers.

Finally, after four years, he received his freedom from the detention center in June 2018, and was transferred to a community house in Tanjung Pinang.

His Life Now

Amin has been attending English language classes regularly. Also, He participated in Local Communication Wisdom and received its certificate. On the other hand, he participated in making new cupboards voluntarily for an orphanage and got a certificate of appreciation on World Cleaning Day for cleaning beaches and the surrounding areas.

“I love helping society and I also used to do haircutting of refugees voluntarily.”

The Only Option!

Amin’s only option to be able to get a proper education, work and move forward with his life is to resettle in a safe country like Canada.

As a UNHCR refugee, he is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

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

You can also reach out to him directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62-831-6163-0050.

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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