Name: Nurullah Ahmadi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, educated, volunteer teacher.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Nurullah and his colleagues were arrested by the Taliban and they were about to be killed. Luckily, they got a chance and escaped from there. Nurullah fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014 to save his life.

He spent about 4 years inside a detention centre where he read many books and volunteered as a teacher. His hope now is to find a group of five Canadian friends who can bring him to Canada where he can start his life again.

His Story

Nurullah was born in January 1988, in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. After he graduated from the Polytechnic University of Kabul, he was hired as an Assistant Engineer in a private road construction company in the Ghazni province.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. After about 20 days in late 2014, Nurullah wanted to go to the city of Ghazni. Unfortunately, he and his colleagues were intercepted by the Taliban on the way and they were taken to an unknown place. Their work documents were also taken by the Taliban.

“We knew that sooner or later, we would be killed by the Taliban, so we decided to find a way to escape from there.”

Leaving Home

Nurullah and his colleagues escape from there when members of the Taliban were busy offering their prayers. Since the Taliban had Nurullah’s details and could easily find him in Afghanistan, he had to leave his country immediately.

After arranging for a people smuggler, he flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat in early 2015.

Detention Centre

Before Nurullah could go to Jakarta and register himself with the UNHCR, he was stopped by the local police on the way to Jakarta and was taken to Lampung Immigration Centre where he was kept for 25 days. Then he was transferred to a detention centre in Pontianak where he got registered with the UNHCR.

“While being in the detention centre, we were not allowed to go out, but I had a chance to learn new things and improve my skills.”

By using his English skills, Nurullah started reading books, learning from volunteers there, and exercising regularly. He also taught English, Mathematics and Chemistry to his refugee fellows. After about 4 years of living in the detention centre, Nurullah received his freedom and was transferred to a community house in Batam. Since then, he has been living there.

His Life Now

As a refugee, Nurullah cannot work, get proper education, drive and travel to another country. He is a great helper to his community. He says:

“I believe that these difficulties make us strong and I hope to resettle in a safe country like Canada where I will be able to improve myself and contribute to society.”

His Dreams

Nurullah dreams to live a life in which he can have access to his basic human rights and use his abilities for a better future.

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

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

You can also reach out to him directly on Facebook – or by email: tommytom84472@gmail.com – or through WhatsApp: +62 896-4490-7894.

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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