Name: Qasem Massoumeh and their two daughters Narges (15), and Reyhaneh (12).

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, experienced construction worker and chef.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Needed: A group of five friends to support him.

Qasem has been escaping to save his life since childhood. First, he escaped to Iran and now he has been living in limbo in Indonesia where he has been deprived of his basic human rights. He hopes to find a group of friends who can help him and his family come to Canada where he can work, support his family and see his daughters getting a proper education.

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Early Life

Qasem was born on March 6, 1990 in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. As a grocery shop owner, his father knew everyone in the village. One day in 1996, the Taliban told his father to give them information about the people of the village, and his father asked them to wait for two days. Then, his father asked for help from the elders of the village, and unfortunately, the Taliban came to know about his counsel. Consequently, his father received a threatening letter from the Taliban, saying that he had betrayed them which is why the Taliban would kill him and the whole family.

“My father feared and told us to prepare for leaving the country.”

Since they were not safe anywhere in Afghanistan, Qasem’s father moved his family to Mashhad, Iran where Qasem started going to primary school.

Life in Iran

As Qasem grew up, he understood that he had been living without his rights due to not having legal status to stay in Iran. However, his mother always advised him to be thankful that he was at least safe there. At the age of 14, he lost his father in Iran, and then he took responsibility for his family. Later on, he married in Iran and he got blessed with two beautiful daughters. Unfortunately, his elder daughter was born with two diseases, Crystal Fibrosis and Celiac.

“Life was very difficult. I had to work the whole day and my wife used to take our daughter to the hospital.”

One day in April 2015, Qasem had to bring medications for his daughter from a special pharmacy that was located in the downtown area. As a stateless person, he was not allowed to ride a motorcycle, but he had to bring medicines for his daughter anyway. Unfortunately, he was arrested by the Iranian police and was deported to Herat, Afghanistan in April 2015.

“I was very scared because I knew that I was not safe in my country at all.”

His Journey to Indonesia

Qasem heard that refugees had been resettled in Australia which was a safe option for him, so he decided to go to Australia. With the help of some Hazara people, he arranged for a people smuggler and paid him USD 7,000 to take him to Indonesia. On April 18, 2015, he flew to New Delhi, India. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat.

Life in Indonesia

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR on April 24, 2015. Since then, Qasem has been living without his basic human rights. As a refugee, he cannot work, get proper education, drive and even open a bank account. All he can do is wait for an uncertain time to be resettled in the third country. On the other hand, his elder daughter is still suffering from her diseases and her medications are very expensive.

“As a father, I feel so helpless that I cannot support my family and work to buy medications for my daughter.”

Despite all the difficulties he has been facing, he keeps himself busy exercising, learning the English language and computer skills, and reading books.

The Only Option

He has been very worried for his wife, Massoumeh and two daughters, Narges and Reyhaneh who are left in Iran. Since they can never have a future there, Qasem hopes to see them getting a proper education and live with freedom in a safe country.

Their only option to live with freedom and pursue their dreams is to resettle in a country like Canada.

Since he is officially certified as a refugee by the UNHCR – unlike the vast majority of the world’s refugees – he qualifies for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

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 Qasem directly on Facebook – or by email: ghasemjafari43@gmail.com – or through WhatsApp: +62-822+3511+9042.

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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