Name: Maysam Zafari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, volunteer painting teacher.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

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After being captured and threatened by the Taliban to be their reporter, Maysam had no way but to escape from Afghanistan to save his life, so he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

He spent 3 years inside a detention centre, and he has been giving his time in learning different skills. Now, he has been teaching painting to his refugee fellows and he hopes to find a group of friends who can help him come to Canada where he can pursue his dreams and live a peaceful life.

His Early Life

Maysam was born on October 26, 1995 in a village of the Ghazni province in Afghanistan.

In 2012, his father passed away and he also lost his eldest brother in the same year.

“My brother is still missing, presumed dead in Iran/Afghanistan.”

His Job

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. Maysam started working in a restaurant as a waiter, but he could not continue working there because he was not paid enough to feed his family

The chef of the district office was a person from his village. He was aware of Maysam’s situation and he wanted to help. So, he hired Maysam as a dishwasher and he used to pay him a little sum of money.

The Capture

One day Maysam was on the way to Mazar (a holy place where people go to pray). Around 3km far from the rural area, a car stopped and he was grabbed and blindfolded.

“After about 20 minutes ride, they stopped the car, uncovered my eyes and introduced themselves as the Taliban.”

The Taliban knew all about the members of Maysam’s family, the elders of his village and the entire area. They threatened him to give them the news about the staff of the district.

“I was afraid of them, so I accepted everything but they threatened me that they would kill me if I did not cooperate with them.”

They gave him a phone number to report them, and then they blindfolded him again and returned him where they had caught him.

His Journey to Indonesia

When Maysam returned home, it was late, and his mother got worried after she saw him pale and confused. She asked him the reason and he told her about the Taliban. His mother immediately told her brother and asked him to do something to rescue Maysam before something dreadful happened.

His uncle took him to Kabul where he arranged the whole thing with a people smuggler and Maysam went to Indonesia via India and Malaysia. He arrived in Indonesia on August 25, 2014.

Life in Indonesia

With no right to work or way to support himself, he went to Tanjung Pinang Immigration Centre to ask for assistance.

“I have struggled with different kinds of difficulties since I arrived in Indonesia at the age of 19. Initially, I lived out in the open yard of the detention centre during heavy rain and hot sunshine. No shelter was provided.”

He was then moved to a room inside the immigration centre. There were 25 refugees living in the small room. Later on, he was transferred to a detention centre.

“While facing difficulties inside the detention centre, I set goals for myself to learn English, read books and exercise to stay positive.”

After spending about 3 years inside the detention centre, Maysam received his freedom in 2018, and was transferred to a community house in Bintan region which is a rural area and far from the city.

Present Day

When Maysam came to Indonesia, he barely could read his name in English or Bahasa Indonesia, but now he is pretty confident about both languages. After getting his freedom from the detention centre, he learned computer programs, painting and a number of other skills. Now, he has been teaching his refugee fellows painting voluntarily.

“Painting is my hobby now and I feel so good teaching my fellows”

His Dreams

Maysam’s dreams are to study, work, support his family and live in a peaceful country like Canada.

“I dream about making good changes to society.”

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

Before Maysam’s application is submitted, however, he needs to have enough funds for his first 12 months of life in Canada.

According to Canadian Immigration, the funds – at least $16,500 CAD - must be raised first and held in trust before the sponsorship application can move forward. The funds raised will go entirely towards Maysam’s first-year expenses. You can donate here to the online fundraiser that his friend has launched to reach this goal.

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

You can also reach out to Maysam 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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