Name: Mohammad Saleh Salehi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English and Indonesian language speaker, good at drawing art.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After abducting Saleh’s father, the Taliban started looking for Saleh because his father was the supervisor of a school and he used to help him. Knowing that his life was in danger, his mother helped him flee to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

He was only 16 years old, and he spent his three years in a detention centre where he faced many challenges, still, he did his best to make his mother proud. He learned English and Indonesian language as well as drawing.

He hopes now to find a group of Canadian friends who can sponsor him to Canada where he can live peacefully and get proper education.

His Childhood

Saleh was born in 1998 in Nahoor district of the Ghazni province in Afghanistan. His father was the supervisor of a school in his village. He was 12 years old when he started helping his father at the school.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education.

In 2014, Saleh went with his father to Ghazni for bringing materials for their school. Saleh stayed in Ghazni for his study, and his father made his way back to his village with school materials.

Life in Danger

While returning to his village, his father was caught by the Taliban. They tortured the driver and burned the car and the materials. Then they let the driver go but abducted his father and took him with them.

After the driver arrived in the village, he told everyone what had happened and said that the Taliban had been searching for Saleh as well.

“My mother called and told me that the Taliban had caught your father. Hearing this, I was shocked and afraid. She told me to escape from Ghazni because the Taliban had been searching for me everywhere.”

Saleh was their next target because he had been working with his father for the school which was not acceptable for the Taliban. He had no other way but to leave his mother and two younger brothers behind and escape to a safe country.

Challenges on his Way

He flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India on February 24, 2014, and stayed there for 12 days.

“I was only 16 years old and had never traveled before. I remained alone at a house for 3 days without food and water because I was afraid to go outside and I didn’t understand their language as well.”

After 3 days, Saleh went out with fear and started searching for food and water. Later he found his countryman who guided him there. Then he flew to Malaysia, from there, he arrived in Indonesia by boat and arrived in Bogor on March 19, 2014.

He registered himself at the UNHCR office on March 25, 2014.

Hard Days in Detention Centre

Due to not having any supporter and the right to work in Indonesia, Saleh went to Pontianak Detention Centre on October 30, 2014. He and other refugees were being treated like criminals in the detention centre. They got skin disease because of drinking unclean water.

“I will never forget those days. I was a teenager and the challenges were like a mountain against me.”

Due to stress, Saleh and other refugees used to walk all night to become tired and be able to sleep. He didn’t know English language, and despite all his difficulties, he started learning English and Indonesian languages as well as drawing.

Finally, he received his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Tanjung Pinang on March 8, 2018.

The Last Word

Saleh is searching for kind friends who can sponsor him and help him to live his dream which is a peaceful life.

“I believe that I will be helped by some kind-hearted friends and I am looking for something better.”

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

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

You can also reach out to Saleh 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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