Name: Hamed Busandeh

Profile: Kurd refugee from Iraq, living in Tanjung, Pinang Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, cabinet maker using MDF for kitchen, writer, guitar teacher.

Risk: At risk of remaining stateless for the whole life. He has been stateless since he was born.

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Hamed has been struggling to find a place that he can call home since his childhood. He grew up in Iran as a refugee and now living in Indonesia where he has been deprived of his basic human rights.

He is a sensitive guy with a golden heart. His dream is to open a care centre for homeless dogs and he needs a group of friends who can sponsor him to Canada where he can fulfill his dream and have an identity.

Born Stateless

Hamed was born in 1985 in Fars province in Iran. His parents were born in Baghdad, Iraq. Before Iraq-Iran War, Saddam Hussein considered Kurds “Iranian” and deported hundreds of thousands of Kurds to Iran. Hamed’s parents were also among them. They lived near the Iran border in tents for months.

Kurdish people in Iran have been considered refugees and their rights are limited. They are not allowed to work in offices, study at universities, drive, obtain citizenship and even get legally married.

In Search of Home

Hamed knew that he would not have any future in Iran, nor he could go to Iraq because both countries do not accept him as their local, so he took the risk and arranged for a people smuggler who made fake passports and documents for his travel. On January 6, 2015, he flew from Tehran to Malaysia and he arrived there on January 7.

“It was my first time traveling out of the city and I was very frightened of being arrested by Iranian police at the Tehran Airport.”

From Malaysia, he went to Bali and then on to Makassar on January 8, 2015.

Life in Indonesia

After arriving there, the people smuggler took his fake passport, his money and disappeared. Hamed went to Makassar Immigration Centre to ask for assistance because refugees in Indonesia do not have the right to work to support themselves. Hamed slept for more than a month at the side road in front of the immigration office. In February 2015, he was transferred to a detention centre in Makassar.

“It was like a prison. We could not go outside.”

While living there, he started teaching guitar to refugees from different nations and wrote a small book as well.

Finding Help

After 3 years, Hamed went to Kalideres Immigration Centre to get support from IOM, but despite sleeping at the side road and being with more than 200 other refugees with only 1 toilet, he was not helped by IOM.

Later on, some humanitarians from a church started supporting Hamed and gave him a small room to live in. He has been teaching guitar to his refugee fellows and locals.

Since childhood, Hamed had been dreaming of going to a cinema and watching a movie there, and his dream came true for the first time in Jakarta.

“I was very excited and so happy.”

Saved a Life!

Hamed saved a dog’s life. When the dog was 2 months old, she was abandoned by everyone, even by her owner. Her condition was very serious, and then Hamed took care of her and after a few months, she was completely healthy.

“Her name is Felfel and I am so lucky to have her.”

Precious Dreams

Hamed’s dreams are to study at university and open a care centre for those dogs who have no family.

Hamed’s father and one sister are in Iran. They have been deprived of their rights as well.

“My dad is very old now and I hope to see him again.”

Last Word!

His father is suffering from Alzheimer's, and he sometimes does not remember Hamed and his only daughter who has been taking care of him.

“My sister helps my father with his walking problem as well. She is alone and needs my support but I am stuck here in Indonesia.”

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

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

You can also reach out to Hamed directly on Facebook - or by email: lidoma1364@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +62 83152731010

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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