Name: Mohammad Jawadi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced driver.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Knowing that the Taliban had been searching for him to arrest and kill him, Mohammad Jawadi fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014 to save his life. Since then, he has been living in Indonesia without having access to his basic human rights.

His dream is to resettle in a safe country like Canada where he can work, get proper education and live with freedom. He needs a group of five Canadian friends who can help him start a new life in Canada.

His Life in Threat

Mohammad Jawadi was born in 1992 in Ghazni province in Afghanistan.

He used to work as a rickshaw driver in the city of Ghazni. The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. There was an old gun at Jawadi’s home for years and his father used to say that it was a family heirloom.

One day in August 2014, when Jawadi came back home from work, he found his sister and mother covered with blood. He then learned from his sister that before his arrival, three armed members of the Taliban came who were looking for him. After searching the home, they found the gun that was the family heirloom, and when they could not find Jawadi, they started beating his mother and sister. Members of the Taliban had told his mother that some unknown people had reported to the Taliban about Jawadi being a servant of the government and having a gun at his home. The members of the Taliban had also threatened Jawadi’s mother that if they came next time and did not find Jawadi, they would kill his mother and sister.

“It was the moment when I realized that I was in grave danger and I had to flee to save my life.”

Journey to Indonesia

Knowing that he was at risk of being captured and killed by the Taliban, he went to Kabul hiddenly and arranged for a people smuggler with the help of his maternal uncle. In August 2014, he flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat.

Detention Centre

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR in September 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. On February 28, 2016, he was transferred to a detention centre in Pontianak. The detention centre was overcrowded and badly ventilated. Jawadi and other refugees faced many challenges like, lack of food, water and proper medical care.

“While living inside the detention centre, we were not allowed to go outside and we were being treated like prisoners.”

After more than two years of being detained, he was freed in March 2018 and was transferred to a community house in Tanjung Pinang. On March 28, 2019, he was transferred to a community house in Jakarta. Since then, he has been living there.

His Only Option!

As a refugee, Jawadi has been deprived of his basic human rights since 2014. He cannot get proper education, work, drive and travel to another city. He dreams to live his life in a peaceful land with freedom where he can work, support his family and contribute to society. His only option to fulfill his dream is to be resettled in Canada.

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

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

You can also reach out to Mohammad Jawadi directly on Facebook – or by email: mohamadjavadi742@gmail.com.

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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