Name: Maisam Ali

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, hard worker.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

As a Hazara man, Maisam could not work and live safely in Afghanistan, so he came to Indonesia in 2018 in search of a safe place.

Since then, he has been living without his basic human rights. He is very concerned about his family who is in Afghanistan. His hope now is to be helped by a group of Canadian friends who can bring him to Canada where he can work and support his family.

The Reason He Left Afghanistan

Maisam Ali was born in January 1998, in Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He was a child when his family moved to Kabul. Since he belonged to a poor family, he used to sell towels in the marketplace of Kabul to support his family.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. The number of attacks on the Hazara people were increasing day by day, and as a Hazara, Maisam was in grave danger.

"Every day when I was going to work, I was not sure whether I would return home safely at night or not."

The Way to Indonesia

Maisam's parents were very worried for him. They finally decided to send him to a safe country. They arranged for a people smuggler by selling their ancestral land in Jaghori, and in April 2018, Maisam flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India. From there he went to Malaysia and then on to Indonesia by plane in May 2018.

Life in Indonesia

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR in May 2018. Since he did not have the right to work or way to support himself in Indonesia, he slept in front of the UNHCR office on the side of the road for about 2 years. He was then transferred to a refugee detention centre in Kalideres in 2020. After a few months, an organization named CRS (Catholic Relief Services) offered to give him monthly allowance. Since then, he has been living in Jakarta.

His Dreams

As a refugee, Maisam cannot get proper education, work, drive and even open a bank account. He has been waiting to be resettled in a country where he can have access to his basic human rights. On the other hand, he is very worried for his family who is left in danger in Afghanistan.

“My dream is to be allowed to work and support my family. They need my help, but unfortunately, I have been stuck in Indonesia where I can only breathe and wait for my resettlement.”

There is a way for Maisam to resettle in a beautiful country like Canada where he can work, support his family and contribute to society.

Since he 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.

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 Maisam Ali 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!