Name: Jawid Askari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After the Taliban captured and tortured Jawid and his father, an old woman came and said that she could help only 1 of them to escape from there. Jawid’s father sacrificed his life and helped his son to flee from there. So, Jawid fled to Indonesia in 2016.

In Indonesia, he spent more than 2 years inside different detention centres. Now, he hopes to find a group of friends who can help him start his life again in Canada where he can work and pursue his dreams.

His Story

Jawid Askari was born in January 1989, in a village of the Ghazni province in Afghanistan.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. Jawid’s father had a building materials store in his village and they both used to work at the store.

In 2015, they both went to Wesh, Kandahar to bring cement sacks for their store, and while returning with a truck loaded with cement sacks, they were stopped by the Taliban on the way. The Taliban asked Jawid’s father where they were taking the cement sacks. His father told them that he had been taking cement for his store, but the Taliban did not believe him. They thought that the cement sacks were being taken to Jaghori for the construction of the airport there, so the Taliban took Jawid, his father and the truck driver who was Pashtun, to an unknown place.

“On the way, they continuously hit us on the head and threatened us not to look up.”

Tortured and Beaten

After arriving there, the Taliban tied their hands and feet and started beating them with sticks and punches. It was nearly night when a very old woman came and ask them the reason for being captured. They told her that they were innocent but the Taliban thought that they were delivering cement for the government to build the airport in Jaghori. The old woman said that someone had reported falsely about Jawid and his father to the Taliban. She also said that she could help only 1 of them escape from there.

“My father asked the old woman to help me escape from there. I did not want to leave my father behind but he persuaded me to flee from there and save my life.”

The old woman brought Jawid out of that house and told him to run in the direction of the main road. After running for a few hours, Jawid reached the road and from there, he hid behind a truck until he arrived in Kabul. Jawid contacted his uncle and told him everything.

Leaving Home

“My uncle had a friend there who came and took me to a house where he told me to stay until he arranged my travel document. There was not a single moment when I had not been thinking of my father”

After staying for about 3 weeks in Kabul, Jawid went to New Delhi, India by plane on January 28, 2016. From there, he flew to Singapore and then on to Surabaya, Indonesia on February 10, 2016.

Life in Limbo

On February 16, 2016, Jawid registered himself at the UNHCR office in Jakarta.

Jawid was very worried about his father and his family that were left in Afghanistan. After some days, he heard 2 tragic news.

“I heard that my mother passed away in shock due to that incident, and afterward, my father was killed by the Taliban.”

With no right to work or way to support himself, Jawid went to Manado Immigration Centre to ask for assistance in March 2016. He was transferred to a detention centre in Papua in May 2016. After 1 and a half years, he was transferred to another detention centre in Surabaya in November 2017.

Finally, he received his freedom from the detention centre and was transferred to a community house in Surabaya on October 7, 2018.

It is Possible!

It is possible for Jawid to live his life again in a safe country like Canada where he can have access to his basic human rights and be a helpful hand to society.

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

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

You can also reach out to Jawid 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!

Thank you for your support. And help spread the word by sharing this post!