Name: Rahmat Akbari

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, FULLY FUNDED,

Risk: At risk of being tortured and killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and at risk of being killed in terrorist attacks by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Pakistan.

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Needed: Five people to serve as private sponsors to Canada.

When Rahmat, a Hazara vegetable seller was being targeted by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, he escaped from there, and he fled to Indonesia by boat in 2014.

While living in a detention centre for four years, he learned the English language and he has been participating in some volunteering works with refugees and locals.

He hopes now to find a group of friends who can bring him to Canada where he can get proper education and be able to support his family.

His Childhood

Rahmat Akbari was born on January 1, 1998 in a village of the Khas Uruzgan district in Uruzgan province in Afghanistan.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres due to their culture, religion, and love for education. Rahmat was a child when his two uncles were killed by the Taliban and his family was threatened to death, so his father decided to leave Afghanistan and they migrated to Quetta, Pakistan.

Losing His Father

Unfortunately, they couldn’t find peace in Pakistan as well due to a terrorist group by the name of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who target the Hazara people. Rahmat’s father used to sell vegetables. After he and other Hazara vegetable sellers got threats by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, he headed towards Australia by boat.

“My father went towards Australia for finding a peaceful place for us and he is missing in the ocean since October 2011. After him, I was man of the family”

The Incident

Rahmat started doing his father job. He used to bring vegetables from Hazar Ganji, a very dangerous place for the Hazara people, and sell them in his town.

On September 18, 2014 he was busy buying vegetables in Hazar Ganji when some members of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi tried to kill him. He hid in the crowd and got into a bus where they again appeared.

“Luckily, some rangers arrived there and members of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ran away shouting Hazara Kafir (Hazara infidels). My heart was beating with fear.”

His Journey to Indonesia

After that incident, Rahmat decided to move to a peaceful country. On September 25, 2014 he went to Kabul where his uncle arranged for a people smuggler, and he flew to New Delhi, India on October 10. After staying for four days there, he flew to Malaysia and stayed there just one night, and he arrived in Medan, Indonesia by a dangerous boat on October 16, 2014.

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself at the UNHCR office on October 20 and stayed in Bogor for a few days.

His Life in Detention Centre

He had a small amount of money left and he didn’t have the right to work, so he went to Balikpapan Detention Centre and asked them for assistance.

After staying and sleeping outside of the detention centre for a week, he was detained in Balikpapan Detention Centre alongside other refugees for four years.

During that time, the detention centre was overcrowded and they didn’t have access to proper food, enough water or a decent place to sleep.

“I was uncertain of my freedom and it was the toughest time for me.”

Finally, he received his freedom from the detention centre in June 2018. Since then, he has been living in a community house in Tanjung-Pinang, Indonesia.

His Life Now

Rahmat has been attending the English classes regularly, and he participated in Local Communication Wisdom and got certified. He also participated voluntarily in making many cupboards for an orphanage and got a certificate on World Cleaning Day for participating in Cleaning the beaches surrounding areas.

The Last Word

Rahmat’s only option to be able to get a proper education, find work and move forward with his life is to find a group of citizens to bring him to Canada.

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

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

You can also reach out to Rahmat Akbari 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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