Name: Khudabakhsh Sharifi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced farmer, FULLY FUNDED.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Khudabakhsh Sharifi, a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, faces imminent danger from the Taliban. He's UN-certified, fluent in English, an experienced farmer, and FULLY FUNDED. Now, he urgently seeks the help of five compassionate Canadian friends to facilitate his safe relocation to Canada. Your support can be a lifeline for him in his quest for safety and a brighter future.

His Story

Khudabakhsh was born on October 5, 1992, in a district of Uruzgan province in Afghanistan. He used to work as a farmer to support his family. His brother was one of Shujaae’s soldiers who used to defend Hazara areas from the Taliban. Unfortunately, in 2011, his brother’s photos standing with Commander Shujaae went viral and got into the Taliban’s hands. To save his life, his brother fled to Malaysia. After that, no one heard of his brother.

“Due to thinking for my brother’s safety, my father got sick and died a few months later.”

Khudabakhsh’s brother had left 5 sons behind, and Khudabakhsh was the only supporter of the whole family. Everything changed in a night in 2012 when Khudabakhsh was at his friend’s home and the Taliban had come to his home looking for him.

In Danger

The next day when he returned, his sister-in-law told him that the Taliban came home last night looking for him. Since Khudabakhsh’s face resembled his brother’s, the Taliban were looking for him to be captured and killed by his brother’s name.

“I and my family were very scared. During nights, I used to hide in my friend’s home.”

After about a month, the members of the Taliban came again thinking that Khudabakhsh was his brother, and when they could not find him at his home, they left. Things were getting more dangerous.

Leaving Home

Khudabakhsh had no way but to leave Afghanistan immediately or else, he would have been captured and killed by the Taliban. He went to Kabul and arranged for a people smuggler with the help of his sister. After his documents were arranged by the people smuggler, he flew to New Delhi, India on November 13, 2015, and stayed there at a people smuggler's house for about 15 days. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Pekanbaru, Indonesia by boat on December 2, 2015.

Detention Centre

The next day, he was brought to Jakarta where he registered himself with the UNHCR on December 3, 2015. With no right to work or way to support himself in Indonesia, he went to Batam Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. On April 1, 2016, he was transferred to a detention centre in Balikpapan. Despite being detained and being treated like a criminal there, he kept himself busy learning the English language and playing football. In August 2018, he finally received his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Makassar. Since then, he has been living there.

His Life Now

As a refugee, Khudabakhsh cannot get a proper education, work, drive and even open a bank account. On the other hand, he has been very worried for his family who are left in Afghanistan in danger. His dream is to resettle in a safe country where he can have access to his basic human rights and reunite with his family one day.

It is Possible!

It is possible! Since Khudabakhsh is officially certified as a refugee by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – he qualifies for Canada’s private sponsorship program. Another good thing about him is that he is FULLY FUNDED.

If you would like to sponsor him – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring him here – please contact his friend Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can reach out to Khudabakhsh 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!

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