Name: Rohullah Mohammadi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, good English skills, skilled constructor and cook, FULLY FUNDED.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Rohullah Mohammadi, a Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, faced persecution and loss, losing his father to Taliban torture. Escaping escalating violence, he embarked on a perilous journey, seeking safety in Indonesia.

His life in Indonesia has been challenging – he can't work or study. Despite being a skilled constructor and cook, he cannot use his skills and contribute to society. His only hope is to find a group of five Canadian friends who can help him start a new life in Canada.

Tragic Loss

Rohullah was born in January 1998, in Khas Uruzgan district in Oruzgan province in Afghanistan. The majority of the population in Oruzgan province is the Pashtun people and most of them are part of the Taliban regime or they have a soft corner for the Taliban.

The Hazara people of the region have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. Rohullah’s father was a schoolteacher. In the year 2011, his father was abducted by the Taliban. His father was tortured and harassed for 6 months. Afterward, the Taliban left his father near a neighboring village, and the villagers brought his father to his home.

“My father was not able to get up and walk because of the severe harassment and torture by the Taliban. He could not even eat. Seeing him in that condition was unbearable for me and my family. Nearly 6 months later, my father died.”

Village Under Attack 

In the year 2012, the attacks of the Taliban and Pashtuns, who were living around Rohullah’s village, increased. The government then formed local police to defend the villages of the Hazaras, but the number of local forces was small. Consequently, many villagers started leaving their homes due to the fear of the Taliban, but others had to take turns guarding the area with the help of local police.

“I was only 16 years old, and I was very afraid of the name of the Taliban and the sound of the gun.”

One night in July 2014, it was Rohullah’s paternal uncle’s turn with a few other villagers to guard the area with the help of local police. That night, Rohullah brought dinner for his uncle at the checkpoint. While he was having dinner with his uncle, he heard sudden gunfire. It was the Taliban who had attacked. The local police and villagers took their guns and told Rohullah to get out of there immediately.

“It was a very terrifying moment. All the villagers including women and children were running towards the mountains. When I got home, I found no one there and I was terrified”

Rohullah escaped after other villagers, and after walking for about two hours, he reached a neighboring village named Shirdagh. He looked for his mother and sisters, but could not find them. Thinking that his family members had fled to Jaghori, he also escaped to Jaghori where after a few days, he finally reunited with his mother and sisters at a mosque.

Seeking Safety

Unfortunately, in that attack, Rohullah’s paternal uncle had been killed. Since he was not safe in Afghanistan anymore, he decided to immigrate to Iran where his other uncle had been living since a long time ago. 

When he contacted his uncle and shared everything with him, his uncle told him not to come to Iran, because of the harassment and persecution the illegal Afghan refugees had been facing by locals and authorities. His uncle then advised his mother to send Rohullah to a safe country. With the help of his uncle, his mother arranged for a people smuggler and sent him to Kabul.

The Way to Indonesia

After his travel documents were arranged by the people smuggler, he flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India on August 25, 2014. From there, he went to Malaysia by plane and then on to Indonesia by boat on September 06, 2014.

Life in Indonesia 

After arriving in Jakarta, he registered himself with the UNHCR on September 09, 2014, and he moved to Bogor where he stayed for about 2 months. With no right to work or way to support himself in the new country, he went to Pekanbaru Immigration Centre to ask for assistance. 

After spending a week on the street in front of the immigration centre, he was finally given shelter inside the immigration centre. A week later, he was transferred to a community house in Pekanbaru. Since then, he has been living there.

An Opportunity 

As a refugee, Rohullah has been deprived of his basic human rights since 2014. He cannot work, get a proper education, drive and travel to another city. He says:

“Living in the state of limbo is very challenging. My dream is to live in a peaceful country which I can call home.”

It is possible! 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. Another good thing about him is that he is FULLY FUNDED.

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 reach out to Rohullah Mohammadi directly on Facebook – or through WhatsApp: +62 896-2339-1008.

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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