Name: Mustafa Hosseini

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, photographer, computer skills, trained tailor and uniform maker.

FULLY FUNDED

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Mustafa has never known what it means to live in safety and freedom. As a child, he had to be protected from the Taliban by his parents. He could not go to school like a normal child. As a man, he learned why. After the Taliban tortured Mustafa and threatened him with death just for delivering construction materials, he had to flee Afghanistan or face death.

In Indonesia, Mustafa is safe, but he has no rights. He can’t work, or go to school, or travel. He dreams of coming to Canada to work as a tailor, and pursue his hobbies of hiking and nature photography in our beautiful country. Mustafa has a generous donor who will provide all the funds needed to support his first year in Canada. He just needs five Canadian friends who can sponsor him to come to Canada where he can start his life again.

Born into Violence

Mustafa was born in Helmand, an area of Afghanistan where Hazara are a minority of the population. As an ethnic minority, the Hazara face widespread systematic discrimination, targeting and persecution with ruthless ethnic cleaning in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban and ISIS have targeted the Hazara for more than a century and no place is safe.

Due to tribal and religious discrimination, Mustafa’s parents’ prohibited him from going out in order to keep him safe. Sadly, it meant that he could not even attend school. He studied at home with his siblings. His mother was his tailor and his father was a driver. When he was 14 years old, Mustafa’s father was in a dispute about a delivery. His father disappeared and Mustafa was kidnapped by Taliban. He was held ransom for $2500 US dollars. Once he was released, his mother took him and his siblings and moved to another city. He never heard from his father again.

Tortured and Terrorized

In their new town, Mustafa started working in a shop selling construction items.

“I had to take care of my family since I was the elder son and I was feeling responsible. I had a deep desire for learning I started to learn and write while I had time.”

Mustafa was travelling with a delivery when the truck was stopped by the Taliban and searched. They were accused of providing construction supplies to foreigners. The Taliban bound and blindfolded Mustafa. They moved him to an unknown location where there were 2 other prisoners. They were beaten and questioned.

“They confined me in a room where there were two another prisoners. As they beat me, they were saying that you are working a (Foreign Company) and these supplies are from them”

After they left the room, one of the prisoners suggested they run as soon as they have the chance, or face more torture and death.

“If we stay here we will be executed surely. Let's try to flee. It's better to die on the way rather than being interrogated and tortured brutally and die painfully.”

The men managed to untie each other’s hands. The room was locked, but they removed an old window and escaped. Mustafa ran to an orchard where he hid all night. He could hear shots in the distance – he was terrified. In the morning he ran to a busy road and was saved by a person passing by. He travelled to Kabul. He knew he could not stay at his home any longer or he would be murdered by the Taliban. He had to flee Afghanistan.

“My mother told me to leave Afghanistan and don’t come back.”

Mustafa would never see his mother again. She passed away while he was in refugee detention.

Out of Danger into Limbo

In November 2014, Mustafa flew to Balikpapan city. He was placed in a refugee detention centre for almost 4 years. Detention centres are like overcrowded prisons. There are not enough beds for all the refugees, and sometimes not enough food, either. But, despite all difficulty and hardships Mustafa encountered, he kept a positive attitude and kept himself motivated. He started learning English language and computer skills from his refugee friends.

In 2018, Mustafa was released from Balikpapan IDC and moved to refugee housing in Makassar City where he still lives. Although he is out of detention, he still lacks basic rights in Indonesia. He can’t work, or go to school, and receives limited health care.

“I am deprived of my fundamental rights, I am not allowed to go to school, university or work I have been stuck in this green hell, limbo for many years since 2014, against my will.”

Hopes and Dreams

Mustafa enjoys Nature Photography, hiking and going to the Gym. He lives near the mountains in Indonesia, where he enjoys hiking and taking pictures.

“My hope is to get out this uncertainty and be part a community where everyone is respected as a human and has the equal right.”

The Opportunity

Mustafa can find peace in Canada. Since Mustafa is officially certified as a refugee by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – he is qualified for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

Another advantage about him is that he has a friend who has agreed to cover the costs of his first year in Canada. Mustafa is fully-funded and no fundraising is required.

If you would like to sponsor him – or if you’re just interested in helping to bring him here – please contact his friend 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!