Name: Nadir Nazari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, excellent English skills, has skills in cooking, tailoring and barbering.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

After Nadir’s father was captured by the Taliban, Nadir was also in danger since he was the eldest son of his father. To save his life, he fled to Indonesia in 2017 at the age of 15.

He is a skilled and an education lover, but as a refugee, he cannot get proper education, work, drive and travel to another city. He hopes now to find a group of five Canadian friends who can help him start his life again in Canada.

The Incident

Nadir Nazari was born in January 2002, in Nawur 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. Nadir’s father was a farmer and he had decided to migrate to Iran and work there so that his children could go to school and get a proper education. Unfortunately, he was captured by the Taliban on the way to Kabul in early 2017. Nadir’s grandfather searched a lot for his’s father and he learned that for many years, the Taliban had been after Nadir’s uncle who was a government employee, but instead of his uncle the Taliban captured his father.

“Since then, we never heard of my father.”

Knowing that the Taliban had all the information about Nadir's family and they could capture and kill any of them at any time, his mother and grandfather decided to send Nadir to a safe country because he was the eldest among his siblings.

On The Way to Indonesia

With the fear of being captured by the Taliban, Nadir went to Kabul hiddenly where the people smuggler arranged for his passport. In March 2017, he flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India and stayed there for more than a week. Then, he went to Malaysia and then on to Medan Indonesia by plane in April 2017.

Life in the Shelter

After he was brought to Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR in April 2017. Since he was 15 years old, he was taken to a shelter that was for teenagers.

“Life far from family in a new and strange place is always hard and challenging. I did not know any other languages except my native language.”

Since Nadir loves learning, he started learning English and Bahasa Indonesia. He also got admission to a refugee learning centre. In the shelter, he learned from his refugee friends cooking food and other important skills for living individually. He also participated in many educational and volunteering activities in the shelter and at the learning centre. Some of them were namely: Urban Farming Training Sessions by UNHCR (2018), Entrepreneurship programs (2018), Mural Art project BY ACG international Jakarta school (2018) and many more.

At that stage of his life, he was able to understand and speak English and Bahasa Indonesia. As Nadir turned 18 years old in January 2020, he had to leave the shelter, and he started living in Jakarta.

“I was happy, safe and hopeful in the shelter, but there came a time when I had to leave it.”

Life After the Shelter

As a refugee, Nadir cannot work, get proper education, drive and travel to another city. Despite facing such restrictions, he decided to search for internships. He then joined an internship at a restaurant where he used to work six days a week. In this way, he survived for about almost 1 year, and unfortunately, the restaurant got closed due to the pandemic.

“Each day was getting worse and tougher after the pandemic.”

After a few months, he got a place to work in the laundry business and is still working there for 3 days a week. It just barely meets his daily important expenses and necessities. He says:

“I am struggling with life very much.”

Last Word

Nadir has been very worried for his family who is left in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, his mother is living with his two brothers and two sisters who are younger than Nadir. His brothers go to school, but his sisters cannot go to school due to the unsafe environment for females in Afghanistan. Refugees remain in Indonesia for a long time and the case process in Indonesia is very slow and long-lasting. The resettlements are also very limited. There is a way for Nadir to resettle in a safe country like Canada where he can get proper education, pursue his dreams and support his family.

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

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

You can also reach out to Nadir, directly on Facebook – or by email: m.nadir.nazari2002@gmail.com.

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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