Name: Mohammad Shah Hassanzada, Sidiqa and their children Mahdi (13), Shoab (10), Sitara (9)

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced at construction work, plumber, driver

FULLY FUNDED

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Mohammad Shah worked as a driver of a candidate for the provincial council election, and this brought him in the target list of the Taliban. Knowing that his life was in danger, he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014. His daughter was only 6 months old when he was forced to leave his beloved family just to stay alive.

Sidiqa has been raising their three children alone for eight years. Mohammad has struggled through 3 years inside a refugee detention centre and eight years apart from his wife and children. He kept himself busy learning the English language. Sidiqa and the kids faced more danger and fled to Pakistan. The family dreams of a reunion in Canada. The children want to go to school. Sidiqa and Mohammad Shah wish to live where women are equal and they can live their lives without a threat of violence from the Taliban. Can you help? They need a group of five Canadian friends who can sponsor them to Canada.

Their Family

Mohammad Shah and his wife Sidiqa were both born in a village in Malistan district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. They liked each other very much, got married and were blessed with 3 kids. To support his family, Mohammad Shah was working as a driver, taking passengers from Malistan to Ghazni and back.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. In March 2014, he became a personal driver of Latifa Akbari, a candidate for the provincial council election in the election campaign in Malistan. After the election in April 2014, Mohammad Shah took Latifa Akbari to Ghazni.

“The way was so scary because many Hazaras got killed by the Taliban in the area called Dasht-e-Qarabagh. I was driver for a government candidate, and the Taliban would have killed me if they found me.”

Fortunately, they reached to Ghazni safely and Mohammad Shah dropped Latifa Akbari to the hotel she used to reside. They were unaware that every detail about their trip and the plate numbers of their cars were already reported to the Taliban.

“In the middle of the night, I woke up due to chaos. Then I heard from the hotel manager that the Taliban had been looking for Latifa Akbari and those who were working with her.”

On the Run

The next day, Mohammad Shah escaped to Iran, but due to not having legal status there, he was deported back to Afghanistan after a month. He had no where to stay nor he could go back to his village because the Taliban had all his information. So, he went to Kabul, and with the help of the hotel owner he arranged for a human smuggler.

"My daughter was only 6 months that I abondoned my homeland and she was raised up without me and always asking from her mother that when will my father come home?"

The Way to Indonesia

On July 5, 2014 he flew to New Delhi, India and stayed there for 7 days. On July 12, he flew to Malaysia where he stayed for 6 days, and on July 18, 2014 he arrived in Pekanbaru, Indonesia by boat.

“We were taken to the seashore by the people smuggler and commanded to enter the small wooden boat which was terrifying like death. I had never been in a boat before, and every minute was followed with terror that we might get caught by the navy police border.”

A Family Torn Apart

On July 22, 2014 he arrived in Jakarta, and he registered himself with the UNHCR on July 24, 2014. With no right to work or way to support himself, he made his way to Manado Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. He was transferred to Tanjung Pinang Detention Centre in October 2014. The detention centre was overcrowded and badly ventilated. Mohammad Shah and other refugees faced many challenges there like, lack of food, water and proper medical care.

“We were locked up inside our rooms and not allowed to see the sunshine.”

While facing such difficulties, he and some other refugees spent their time learning the English language. Finally, he received his freedom from the detention center on January 31, 2018 and was moved to a community house in the city of Tanjung Pinang.

Peace has not come to his family. After Mohammad Shah left, Sidiqa supported their 3 children and her mother-in-law. They lived in a village and grew their own food, and raised sheep and goats. The children missed their father, but they were stable, and able to attend school. Since the Afghanistan government collapsed, life is no longer safe for Hazara in Afghanistan. The Taliban took over their village and bgan harassing the Hazara. The closed their school and restricted movement by women, and dictated what they could wear. They no longer felt safe, and fled to Pakistan.

"My wife is really my hero, she is strong, and loyal and passionate. She raised and fed all my kids without me during these 8 years that I'm in Indonesia. I really owe her a lot."

Seeking Peace Together

Since the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, the family has no option to return back nor he can live in Indonesia without having access to his basic human rights.

As a UNHCR refugee, Mohammad Shah is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. He needs a group of five Canadian friends to sponsor him. he already has a donor to provide the funds to support their first year in Canada.

"The children dream to have a peaceful future with their father and pursue their dreams. They want to study and go to college and become a useful people in society.

Sidiqa's dream is to have a country to live in peacefully and her human rights is valued and she has country to call it home. And after 9 years waiting we can reunite."

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

You can also reach out to Mohammad Shah 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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