Name: Mohammad Zaman Mahdavi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, great painter, experienced as an English teacher, YouTuber, computer skills, learning crypto and forex market.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZamanArt

Zaman was an English teacher in Ghazni, Afghanistan. The Taliban attacked his home to kill him but he was somewhere else and they killed his father. Since he was their main target, he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

While living in limbo, Zaman spent his time learning and then teaching painting. Now, he has been spreading his talent through social media.

He hopes to find a group of friends who can help him come to Canada where he can get proper education, show his painting arts and bring his family there one day.

Childhood

Zaman was born in 1999, in a village of the Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He was a child when his family moved to Ghazni.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. Zaman’s father had a retail store in his village, and besides going to school, Zaman used to help his father at the store.

After finishing high school and 6 years of learning English language at a private language centre, he started teaching basic English classes at an English language centre in Ghazni in January 2014.

Threatened and Attacked

Later on, the Taliban started threatening Zaman and his family members to stop Zaman from teaching the English language which was the language of infidels according to the Taliban. Despite being threatened many times, Zaman ignored the threats and continued working as an English teacher.

On October 2, 2014, Zaman and his family went to his cousin’s wedding in Jaghori district, and only his father stayed in Ghazni due to his work.

Zaman and his family were in Jaghori when at midnight, the Taliban entered his house in Ghazni and killed his father. They also took Zaman’s identity documents and certificates of his English courses.

“It was a horrible situation. On one hand, I had lost my father, and on the hand, I was at risk of being caught and killed by the Taliban.”

Zaman wanted to rescue his and his family’s life, but he had no choice. His mother told him to save his life at first and then rescue his family. So, he arranged for a people smuggler with the help of his maternal uncle.

His Journey to Indonesia

After hiding for a week at the people smuggler’s house in Kabul, Zaman flew to New Delhi, India on November 30, 2014. In India, he had transit of 10 hours, then he flew to Malaysia and stayed there for 6 days. Finally, he arrived in Pekanbaru, Indonesia by boat on December 6, 2014.

Life in Limbo

From Pekanbaru, Zaman went to Medan city and handed himself over to Medan Immigration Centre. The guards of the immigration centre took the money he had with himself and kept him hungry for a whole day.

Two months later, he was transferred to a detention centre in Tanjung Pinang on February 10, 2015.

On February 16, 2015, Zaman was registered by the UNHCR inside the detention centre.

“At that time, I was 15 years old, and it was unfair for a teenager to be kept inside the detention centre among adults and criminals.”

After living his 12 months inside the detention center, he was transferred to a community house in the city of Makassar.

His Talent

While living there, he started learning drawing and computer programs from online resources.

After a while, Zaman started teaching drawing to local children. Also, he exhibited his paintings at seminars and other Indonesian programs where he was praised by everyone.

“I have kept my spirit fresh by working on my skills. Because I have to be strong to save my family, and I must not get sick.”

Last Word

The control of Afghanistan is in the hands of the Taliban now, and Zaman is more worried for his family.

“My mother and youner brother have only me. My mother is sick and I have been away from my family for almost 8 years.”

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

“I hope someone can help me and bring me to Canada so that I can reunite with my family there one day.”

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

You can also reach out to Mohammad Zaman 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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