Name: Mohammad Jawad Asghari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

As Mohammad Jawad’s elder brother got killed by the terrorist in Quetta, Pakistan and his hand got fractured in a massive blast, his parent decided to send him to a safe country, and he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

He always dreamed to get proper education and despite being deprived of his basic rights, he got permission to study in high school class but still, he couldn’t give a legal assessment due to his being a refugee. He hopes now to find five Canadian friends who can help him bring to Canada where he can pursue his education and be a helpful hand in society in the future.

His Childhood

Mohammad Jawad’s family fled from Afghanistan to Quetta, Pakistan in the early 90s for living peacefully, and he was born on April 13, 1999 in Quetta, Pakistan. As a child, he used to go to school and help his elder brother at his grocery shop during his free time.

The Hazara people in Pakistan have been targets of persecution and massacres due to their religious and political beliefs.

One day, Mohammad Jawad’s brother went to Bazaar for bringing items for the shop and he told Mohammad Jawad to stay at their shop until his return. After some time, some people came and told him to close the shop because some innocent Hazaras had been killed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. So, he closed the shop and went to play cricket with his friends, and someone told him there that his father had been calling him to come home.

“When I went home, I saw people gathered there, and my family and other relatives were mourning. Then I got to know that my elder brother had also been killed on that day”

The Blast

After his brother got martyred, he tried his best to continue his education and pursue his dream of becoming a president in the future. Also, he started working at a hairdresser shop to learn a new skill.

On February 16, 2013 Mohammad Jawad was on his way for shopping when he heard a blast and fell.

“When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t able to see anything due to pollution and not able to hear anything. People were running and shouting, and many of them were covered with blood. That was a scene of doomsday.”

He quickly went to his home and saw his parents and sister crying because they knew that he had gone towards the blast site. After some minutes, his hand’s pain got worse which made him shout. He was taken to the hospital immediately and the doctor said that it was fractured.

After that blast, Mohammad Jawad’s parents got worried because they didn’t want to lose him like his elder brother, and on June 30, 2013 another blast took place in the Hazara area which was about 1 km away from their home. Mohammad Jawad luckily had passed from that area 5 minutes before the blast.

Leaving Home

Due to the increasing numbers of attacks on the Hazara people in Quetta, Pakistan, his father arranged for a people smuggler, and on September 21, 2014 Mohammad Jawad Made his way to Kabul where he stayed for 2 days. On September 23, he flew to New Delhi, India and stayed there for 5 days. Then he flew to Malaysia on September 28, and then, he arrived in Indonesia by boat on October 1, 2014.

His Life in Limbo

After arriving in Jakarta on October 7, and registering himself with the UNHCR on October 8, he started living at the side road in front of the UNHCR office because he didn’t have enough money left to rent a home. Then on October 23, he and some other refugees went to Batam Immigration Centre to ask for assistance, and they were detained there on October 27, 2014.

“I didn’t know before that we would be treated like prisoners just for asking for food and shelter.”

On January 21, 2015 he was transferred to Pontianak Detention Centre where 500 refugees were detained. Every evening, the security guards used to gather all of them on the ground and count them just like a prison.

On December 15, 2015, Mohammad Jawad was transferred to a shelter in Makassar which was for underage refugees.

“Finally, it was a good feeling because I could go outside during the day.”

With the help of his English skill, he learned Bahasa Indonesia and started interpreting for other refugees voluntarily.

His Dreams

Every morning, Mohammad Jawad used to see the local students going to school properly with their uniforms.

“I used to ask myself the reason of not being allowed to get proper education like other people.”

He always dreamed to get proper education and become a president in the future. Also, he asked the IOM to help him but they said refugees were not allowed to study at local schools. In 2019, a local woman talked to a school which agreed to let Mohammad Jawad stay in class and study high classes with other students but he was still not allowed to participate in the exam and get his high school graduation certificate.

The Opportunity

Mohammad Jawad dreams of living a life in which he can have his basic rights and can support his family and pursue his dreams.

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

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

You can also reach out to Mohammad Jawad 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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