Name: Mustafa Hassani

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced in baking bread (afghani bread), tile worker, FULLY FUNDED.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Mustafa was arrested by the Taliban and about to be killed at any time. Fortunately, he managed to flee from there to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

While living in the detention centre for 3 years, he gave his time to learning English and the Indonesian language. He speaks now both languages fluently, and he needs a group of friends who can help him come to Canada where he can get proper education, support his family and live his life peacefully.

Losing His Supportive Father

Mustafa Hassani was born in January 1997 in Jaghori district in Ghazni province in Afghanistan.

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

Mustafa’s father was a truck driver. He used to deliver groceries and goods for shoppers in the marketplace of Ghujur, Jaghori. In 2012, he was killed by the Taliban on his way from Ghazni to Jaghori. After his father, Mustafa’s mother became the sole supporter of the family.

“My father always encouraged me to go to school, become an engineer and help the community. I learnt from him to become a hard-working and strong man.”

Mustafa’s school was not near his home, so he used to walk for 1 hour to reach there, and 1 hour to be back home every day.

Escaping From the Taliban

One day in July 2014, when Mustafa returned to his home from school, he saw his mother was very ill. He contacted his uncle Musa, who had gone to Ghazni to bring teachers’ salaries and school books for their school. Musa told Mustafa to bring his mother to Ghazni and he would take her to the hospital in Kabul. When Mustafa and his mother arrived in Ghazni, his uncle Musa, gave him books and some documents and told him to take them with himself to Jaghori.

While being on his way back to Jaghori on a taxi, the Taliban stopped the taxi in Dasht-e-Qarabagh and started searching their belongings.

“When they found those books and documents, they checked my National Identity card to make sure that I was from Hazara ethnicity. I was very scared. Then they took me to an unknown place saying that I had been working for the government.”

After a few days, Mustafa managed to escape from the yard of the house he was being kept.

His Way to Indonesia

When he reached Kabul, he contacted his uncle and told him everything. His uncle managed for a people smuggler immediately, and on July 6, 2014, he flew to New Delhi, India where he stayed for about 2 weeks. Then he went to Malaysia and stayed there for about 2 weeks. On August 3, 2014, he arrived in Indonesia by boat.

Life in the Detention Centre

After arriving in Jakarta, Mustafa registered himself at the UNHCR office on August 26, 2014. Due to not having the right to work or way to support himself, he went to Manado Immigration Centre to ask for assistance, and he was transferred to a detention centre in Manado in September 2014.

In the detention centre, Mustafa started learning the English language from other volunteer teachers who were refugees themselves.

“While being on my way to Indonesia, I faced many problems because of language barriers. So, I decided to break the language barriers in the detention centre.”

His Life Now

After 3 years of detainment, he received his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Tanjung Pinang in February 2018. Now, he speaks fluently English and Indonesian language.

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

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

You can also reach out to Mustafa 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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