Name: Mohammad Haidari, his wife Madina Alizadah, and their children Maryam Haidari (13), Mahdi Haidari (8), Yalda Haidari (7), Zainab Haidari (5), Yusuf Haidari (1).

Profile: Hazara refugees from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, Mohammad is a professional mechanic, and his wife Madina, has tailoring skills.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

A Hazara family fled from the Taliban and came to Indonesia in 2013. At that time, they were a family of 3 but now in 2022, they are a family of seven people. 4 more children were born in Indonesia as refugees. In the beginning, they never even thought that they would be living as refugees in Indonesia for more than 9 years.

They need now a group of five Canadian friends who can help them start a new life in Canada.

The Reason They Fled Afghanistan

Mohammad Haidari was born on January 01, 1987, in the Balkh district of the Balkh Province in Afghanistan. At the age of 18, he started working as a mechanic apprentice, and after 5 years, he became a master mechanic.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. One day in 2013, Haidari was at his garage when two people brought a car and asked him to repair it. While checking, he noticed some suspicious installments in the car. He then found out that they were explosive devices installed in the car.

“I was really scared, and then, without acting suspiciously, I notified my brother (Ali Ahmad) to call the police.”

Later on, the police came and surrounded the store without anyone suspecting anything. When the repairs were completed, the car driver paid the money and left the garage with his partner. As soon as they got out, the police attacked them and one of them was killed due to resisting. The other one (the driver) was shot injured and arrested by the police.

Abducted

After about a week, the garage was set on fire on Friday night, and with the help of neighbors, Mohammad and his brother managed to extinguish the fire. A few days later, his brother was abducted by unknown people while going to work. The next day, his dead body was found in front of the garage.

“It was a huge shock to the family. Fortunately, I did not go to work on that day as I was ill.”

Later on, they understood that it was done by the Taliban since they had helped the police by reporting the previous incident.

The Journey

It was crystal clear to Mohammad that he and his family could no longer live safely in any corner of Afghanistan anymore. With the help of a friend, he first sent his family to Kabul and then he arrived there without anyone knowing. They stayed hidden in Kabul for a month. After he arranged for a people smuggler with the help of his friend, he along with his family flew to New Delhi, India in late 2013. From there, they were brought to Malaysia by plane and then to Indonesia by boat in November 2013.

Life in Indonesia

After arriving in Jakarta, they registered themselves with the UNHCR in November 2013.

With no right to work or way to support themselves, they went to Pekanbaru Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. In July 2015, they were transferred to a detention centre there. After a few months, they were freed and transferred to a community house in Jakarta in late 2015. Since then, they have been living there.

Last Word!

As refugees in Indonesia, they can't access education, health care or other basic human rights. A family of seven now, they have been through many unimaginable hardships all these years. Unfortunately, UNHCR is also not helping at all. Private sponsorship to Canada is their only hope for freedom and a better and safer future for Mohammad and his family. He is a professional mechanic and he wishes for his children to have a better future in a country where they would have access to education. He says:

“As a mechanic, I wish to be given an opportunity so that, I can show my talent and skills to society and be able to live a dignified life like any other human being. My main concern is my children’s future because I don’t want them to be illiterate.”

As UNHCR refugees, they are eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. They need a group of five Canadian friends to support them.

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

You can also reach out to Mohammad Haidari directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62 882-8953-1920.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good family to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

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