Name: Mirza Ahmadi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced volunteer English teacher and interpreter, experienced welder، FULLY FUNDED.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After arresting his brother, the Taliban started looking for Mirza too. To save his life, he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

While living in limbo, he has been volunteering as an English teacher and interpreter for his refugee fellows. He is looking for a group of Canadian friends who can bring him to Canada where he can start his life again.

Childhood

Mirza Ahmadi was born in 1987 in Ghazni province in Afghanistan.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres due to their culture, religion, and love for education. Mirza’s father had bought land from a Pashtun man who later on, refused to give the land. The dispute led Mirza's family to flee to Iran because they were threatened by those Pashtun men. During that time, Mirza was a 1-year-old baby.

Life in Iran

He grew up in Iran where he and his family did not have legal status to stay in the country, and they were not allowed to buy a home, drive a car and even open a bank account. Due to being deprived of their rights, his father returned to Afghanistan in the year 2004 – 2005. By that time, the majority of Pashtuns had joined the Taliban, and they killed Mirza’s father there.

Captured in Afghanistan

In 2014, Mirza and his brother were arrested by the Iranian police and deported to Afghanistan. Though Mirza did not consider going to their village, his brother insisted on going there and meeting the people of their village and relatives. Mirza agreed, but his brother went early and Mirza had to follow him later because he had to find a way to go back to Iran at first.

“Unfortunately, the news of our arrival had reached the Taliban faster than we arrived in the village. They captured my brother. When I arrived, my uncle told me that I had to leave hastily if I did not want to be killed like my father.”

The Way to Indonesia

Mirza did not get to see his brother again. Since his life was in danger too, he had to leave the country immediately. He went to Kabul and stayed hidden. After failing to find a way to go back to Iran, Mirza decided to go to Indonesia. He arranged for a people smuggler, and in June 2014, he flew to New Delhi, India. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat in August 2014.

Life in Indonesia

After arriving in Jakarta, Mirza registered himself with the UNHCR on August 6, 2014. With no right to work or way to support himself in the new country, he went to Manado Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. In February 2016, he was transferred to a detention centre in Pontianak where he and other refugees faced humiliation and discrimination from the immigration officers.

His Life Now

Finally, in March 2018, he received his freedom from the detention centre and was transferred to a community house in Tanjung Pinang. He has been exercising regularly, and that keeps him energetic and refreshed. Also, he has been spending his time volunteering as an English teacher and interpreter for his refugee fellows.

“I'm also very interested in collecting information about everything and adding in my knowledge.”

Mirza’s Dreams

As a refugee, Mirza cannot work, get proper education, drive and travel to another city. Since he is an experienced welder, he can resettle in a safe country easily. He says:

“My dream is to start my life again in a safe country where I can work, contribute to society and reunite with my family one day.”

Since Mirza 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 Mirza 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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