Name: Mohammad Shah Ahmadi, his wife Shakilah Ahmadi and their and their daughter Fatima Ahmadi (10). 

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, knows hair cutting, worked as a construction worker.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After Mohammad Shah fell in love with a girl named Shakilah, her father turned out to be a powerful person in his village who had contact with the Taliban as well. Mohammad Shah and Shakilah escaped to Iran and got married there. After two years, he was Returned to Afghanistan to do negotiation with his father-in-law, but it was not a good decision and he stayed hidden from his father-in-law and the Taliban.

He then fled to Indonesia in 2014 where he lived about16 months inside a detention centre. He has learned English and Indonesian language and many other skills while living in Limbo.

He hopes now to find five friends who can help him and his family come to Canada where he can live peacefully, support his family and be a handful hand to society.

His Childhood

Mohammad Shah Ahmadi was born on January 1, 1989 in a village of the Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan.

When he was 10 years old, his father made his way to Iran but he was disappeared since then. Afterward, Mohammad Shah had the responsibility to feed his family.

“I always wanted to get education but I couldn’t because I had to help my mother in farming for our living.”

His Love Story

At the age of 15, Mohammad Shah became a shepherd. He fell in love with a girl named Shakilah. They both decided to marry, so Mohammad Shah’s mother went to Shakilah’s father’s home for a marriage proposal.

“Shakilah’s father was always belligerent and abusive. He disagreed with our marriage. We had no way left, so we eloped from there towards Iran in August 2011.”

After 18 days spending on the way, they arrived in Isfahan, Iran in September 2011.

Shakilah’s father was in power in Afghanistan and he was a member of the clergy party which had contact with the Taliban as well.  After their escape, he arrested Mohammad shah’s mother and tortured her, though she didn’t even know what her son had done.

Also, Shakilah’s father distributed Mohammad Shah’s picture to the Taliban and told them to kill him on the spot.

Their Life in Iran

Mohammad Shah and Shakilah got married in Isfahan, Iran on September 11, 2011. Mohammad Shah started working at a stone-cutting factory. He and his wife were living in fear of being caught by Iranian police and deported back to Afghanistan because they had been living there without legal documents.

“On many occasions, I tried to get a reconciliation with Shakilah’s father, but I failed because we were from different ethnics.”

On August 21,  2012 God gave them a sweet daughter and they both named her Fatima.

In November 2014, Mohammad Shah decided to return to Afghanistan and do negotiation and reconciliation with his father-in-law, but when he arrived in Herat, he shared his plan with his mother and she told him that it was not possible. 

“My mother told me no to return to village otherwise, I would be caught and beheaded by the Taliban on the way. Knowing that, I had no way to return to Iran, nor I could stay in my country , so I stayed hiddenly in a hotel in Herat and asked the owner to help me find a people smuggler.”

His Way to Indonesia

The people smuggler took US$ 6500 from Mohammad Shah, and he flew to New Delhi, India on December 10, 2014 where he stayed for 11 days. On December 21, he flew to Cambodia and then on to Indonesia on December 22, 2014.

Life in Limbo

On December 23, 2014, he registered himself at the UNHCR office in Jakarta, and he made his way to Pekanbaru Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. After 23 days of registering himself at the immigration centre, he and other refugees were transferred to a hotel in Pekanbaru. On April 17, 2016, he was transferred to a detention centre where he remained for 16 months. On July 4, 2018 he got his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Pekanbaru.

His Concern

Mohammad Shah has been very worried for his wife Shakila and his daughter Fatima who are left in Iran. Since they do not have legal status to stay in the country, they are at risk of being arrested and deported to Afghanistan where they cannot survive. 

“My daughter does not have access to basic human rights and she cannot get proper education. I have been far from her and as a father, I want her to have a future in a safe country where she can live with freedom and pursue her dreams.” 

The Last Word

While living in Indonesia, Mohammad Shah has learned English and Indonesian language and hair cutting.. He has been helping his refugee fellows as a volunteer interpreter and English teacher. He is good at farming and he is a shepherd by training too.

Mohammad Shah is a UNHCR refugee. he and his family are  eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. He needs a group of five Canadian friends to support him.

To help support Mohammad Shah and his family  as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to Mohammad Ahmadi directly on Facebook.

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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