Names: James & Angelina

Profile: James is a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia. His wife, Angelina, remains in Afghanistan where Hazara are targets of violence.

Advantages: UN Certified Refugees, James has strong English skills and is an experienced business owner.

Risk: James is at risk of being kidnapped, tortured and executed at the hands of Taliban, if returned home. As a Hazara woman under the Taliban rule, Angelina fears targeted violence. For her safety, we can’t include any pictures or real names.

Canadian Contact: Stephen Watt and Kendra Hawke

They have a group of five Canadian friends to sponsor them to come to Canada.

Financial Need: a minimum of $24,800 CDN to support them during their first year in Canada

James and Angelina were a young, married couple when the Taliban gave James a terrible choice – flee Afghanistan without his beloved wife Angelina, or stay and be publicly executed. Angelina urged him to run for his life, expecting to be reunited with her love soon. She was terribly wrong. James has been struggling as a refugee, alone in Indonesia for 7 years and Angelina lives without him under the restrictive Taliban regime – both unable to move freely or go to school. Angelina’s life continues to be in danger.

James and Angelina’s only hope is to reunite through private sponsorship in Canada. They are both learning English to prepare for life in Canada. Angelina dreams of living in a place where men and women are equal. Their greatest hope is a chance to come to Canada, be reunited and live in peace. Can you help? They have a group of 5 sponsors to bring them to Canada. Please donate to support them during their first year here. All funds go directly to James and Angelina.

https://chuffed.org/project/help-bring-this-husband-and-wife-to-freedom-in-canada

Their Story

James and Angelina are from the same village in Afghanistan. Their village is populated mostly by Hazara people, but sits in a province with a Pashtun majority. They were born in the 90’s during the Taliban regime when a popular Taliban saying was “Tajiks to Tajikistan, Uzbeks to Uzbekistan, and Hazaras to the graveyard.” The Taliban persecute all minorities in Afghanistan, but none more so than the Hazaras.

Angelina and James both enjoyed school as children. In fact, they went to the same school – James attended in the morning, and Angelina in the afternoon. James would pass Angelina on his way to school. He was immediately drawn to her - she seemed so cute and kind.

Their educations were cruelly cut short. Angelina’s conservative relative believed girls should not go to school and forced her to quit after she completed grade 8. Angelina did not agree with her relative’s closed-minded ways but had no choice except to obey.

When James was 18 years old his father passed away.

“I couldn't afford to continue my school because I am the eldest son and I had to take care of my family. So, I left school against my will and start working.”

Happy Marriage and Success

Angelina and James were married in the early 2010’s. Angelina had many marriage proposals. James was delighted to learn that her family had accepted his proposal over the others. She later confided in him that although many sought her hand in marriage, James was her one true love from the start.

James and Angelina were living a normal life. James had a small business that supported his mother, 4 siblings and Angelina. They had no children, but dreamed of a family of their own. Their love had grown from their first days into a deep, committed love for each other. They appreciated each other’s best qualities of honesty and kindness.

James owned an electronic shop. When the Taliban found out that James was selling and setting up satellite dishes, they believed that he was misleading people by propagating foreign cultures in a Muslim society. One day, an anonymous person called James and threatened to kill him.

“After that I was really frightened. My dream was to help people to know about the world and different cultures but it was going to cost me my life.”

Death Sentence

The Taliban were already suspicious of James when he was accused of selling wine. There was no truth to this claim; it did not matter to the local Mullahs. They wanted to make an example of someone.

“The next day the local and influential Mullahs sentenced me to be executed in the public so no one can dare to sell or drink wine ever again.”

James had to leave the village immediately.

“Even I couldn't say goodbye to my family. I left my beloved family and my business behind.”

A Terrifying Escape

At a checkpoint on the way to Kabul, James was captured by the Taliban. They tied up his hands with his clothes and blindfolded him. He was taken to a small old room with a wooden door where there were two other captives, an old man with his son.

“It was dark around 7 in the evening. They were praying while we managed to escape. There was a small gap between the door and floor. We got out of the room and start to run. After three hours we arrived at the highway and waited till the early morning, then a car picked us toward Kabul. When I arrived in Kabul at (Azadi Hotel) the owner of hotel was from my village. I called Angelina and she said that here the people are looking for you to kill, don't come back.”

Angelina was terrified and crying when she spoke to James, but she told him that he must go. James’s journey to safety was long and dangerous, escaping finally to Indonesia. Angelina and James hoped they would soon be reunited.

Prisoners a World Apart

When James arrived in Indonesia, he hoped the bad days were over. He hoped to live peacefully and free. He planned to work hard to have Angelina join him in a country safe for Hazara people.

The experience is the opposite. Refugees in Indonesia are forced into detention camps like criminals. To make things worse, the camps are overcrowded, holding double the people they were designed for. Food and medical care is limited. Education is not an option.

“I surrendered myself to immigration, on 18/12/2014 I was taken to IDC where I lived there till 13/August 2018 almost 4 years behind the locked doors high walls with barbed wire connected to electricity.

Angelina is a different kind of prisoner. She can not return to school and she can not work outside the home. She continues living with James’s family waiting for a time she can resume her life with James. It is dangerous for us even to share details of her life in case she is identified and murdered.

To help support the family, Angelina does tailoring and sewing. She tries to learn a little English everyday. With the Taliban in complete control of her region, life is not safe for her. She is prohibited from going out alone, and must be accompanied by a male family member. She must change into long, conservative clothes to go out. Things are totally different from the past in terms of education, driving, going out, clothing in general - everything is changed.

“Taliban are extremely religious fundamental and extremist they don't consider men and women equal, they believe the women are half of men. That is totally ridiculous I feel sorry for all girls and women in Afghanistan.”

Angelina and James’s commitment has been steadfast – and their love is stronger because of the sacrifices they have had to make.

“It is extremely hard to live far away from your beloved for years. When I think about her my heart aches because of her loneliness.”

James - Leader and Activist

The UNHCR makes no efforts to resettle the people in these overcrowded camps. James, far from his wife and family, has endured these hardships for 7 years – his only crime was escaping a genocidal regime.

“So we started protesting for freedom which is the basic right of every human beings The protest lasted months and finally I got out of IDC on in 2018 and was transferred to Makassar refugee house where I am still living during the time that I am out of detention center I study books, communicating with local people improve my English and Indonesian language.”

Hope for a Future in Canada

Refugees in Indonesia have been told by the UNHCR that they will most likely never be resettled.

Integration in Indonesia is also not an option. Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, so refugees’ rights are not protected, hence they cannot work or access formal education. They live in a state of permanent limbo: they cannot go back nor move forward.

Despite the hardships in the IDC, James has kept himself motivated. He is learning English and the Indonesian language. He has hope for his future – a future with Angelina.

“My first and foremost hope is get out of this unending uncertainty and dilemmas.”

Angelina has been alone all these years. Her dream is to be part of a wonderful Canadian community.

“She wishes to live in community that the rights of man and woman are the same, and the girls are allowed to go school, get education, get a job and in a community which respects the woman and understands the values of women. She hopes that she starts living a normal life in Canada.”

You Can Help!

The good news is that James ad Angelina qualify for the private sponsorship program in Canada. It is the only way of escaping life in limbo for James, Angelina and the others like him in Indonesia.

Before we can submit an application, however, Angelina and James need 5 Canadian sponsors and enough funds for their first 12 months of life in Canada.

According to Canadian Immigration, the funds – a minimum of $24,800 CAD - must be raised first and held in trust before the sponsorship application can move forward. The funds raised will go entirely towards James and Angelina’s first year expenses.

Donate here!

Next Steps

If you would like to sponsor Angelina and James, please contact his friends Kendra Hawke, or Stephen Watt in Toronto.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good person to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

James, Angelina and their many friends thank you for your support. And help spread the word by sharing this post!