Name: Sayed Mohammed Nabi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia since 2013.

Advantages: UN-certified, fluent in English and French, experienced as a mechanic, interpreter, translator and teacher, has extensive volunteer experience, FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN IN PROGRESS.

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

Canadian contact: Stephen Watt

Twice a refugee, first in Iran, and now in Indonesia, Sayed hopes to find a home where he can fulfill his dream of building a better life and helping others. He is resilient, adaptable and hard-working, and has worked as an interpreter, driver, teacher, mechanic, carpet-weaver and more. He speaks fluent English, French, Bahasa Indonesia, Farsi, Pashto and intermediate Arabic and Urdu. He would easily adapt to life in Canada and contribute to Canadian society.

Life in Iran and Afghanistan

Sayed was born in 1988 in the province of Maidan Wardak, close to Kabul. Sayed was born into a Sadat family, a small Shiite ethnic group similar to the Hazaras. The Hazara people of Afghanistan have long been targets of persecution and massacres because of their culture, religion, and love for education. When he was 9, the Taliban threatened his family, accusing some of them of working for the government. They were only a simple family driving taxis and working in shops, but they could not argue with the Taliban. His family fled to Iran and lived there for the next 4 years, where they had no rights, couldn’t go to school and had to settle for whatever job they could get in order to survive. Sayed worked as a mechanic to help support his family.

When Sayed was 13, Iranian authorities deported his family back to Afghanistan. When Sayed returned, in 2001, the Taliban were still in power, but a few months later NATO troops drove them out. In Afghanistan, he started carpet-weaving because it paid better - it would be one of many skills he would pick up on in his refugee journey! Life was still difficult, but he worked hard, studied and volunteered as a teacher, teaching Farsi reading and writing to illiterate Afghans and Math to school students. He became the first person in his family to go to pursue higher studies, studying the French language and literature at Kabul University.

Translating for French Troops and AFRANE

While studying French, he learned that French ISAF troops were looking for interpreters. He got a year-long contract as a French-Farsi interpreter for French soldiers who were training Afghan troops. He knew the job was dangerous and that it would make him a big target for extremists, but he wanted to help rebuild his country. After his contract ended, he got a job as a driver, translator and interpreter for AFRANE, a French NGO focusing on education, a cause close to his heart. He also translated for a French photographer and developed a love for photography. Eventually, the Taliban took notice of Sayed’s work with Westerners.

In January 2013, he and his family received threats from the Taliban. At this time, his work with ISAF was already finished and he was still working with a French association, AFRANE, in Kabul. He did a visa application for interpreters in the French embassy in Kabul and finished all the requirements in February 2013. He was asked to wait for the visa.

“In August 2013, I and my family received more death threats from the Taliban, which I reported to my director. I was in a dangerous situation and I was incredibly scared. I waited for almost two more months, living in fear, but hoping to get a French visa. Eventually, I lost hope.”

If you followed the news in Afghanistan, you probably heard of interpreters being abandoned by Western troops. This was also the case during NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. Sayed was 25 when he fled Afghanistan for the second time, an age when young people are normally establishing their careers, exploring the world, and enjoying their youth. He was unable to finish his Bachelor’s degree.

Fleeing to Indonesia

He decided to go to Indonesia because the journey was safer and he thought that refugee resettlement cases would be processed faster there. However, when he arrived there, authorities detained and tortured him for 2 years, like they did with hundreds of other refugees. After these two years, he was sent to IOM accommodation close to Surabaya, where he is still living now.

When asked about his living conditions in Indonesia, he said;

“I have lived in Indonesia now for 9 years, where I have no right to work, to get married, to travel within the country and no access to formal education. Because of the uncertainty that we face here, more than 16 refugees have committed suicide, some have committed self-immolation and many more have developed depression and other mental illnesses. We really feel that we are in a prison without walls.”

Despite all these restrictions, he decided to improve his language skills, develop friendships, teach languages to other refugees and Indonesians and serve as an interpreter.

Passionate Volunteer, Teacher and Photographer

Sayed’s life has been in a sort of extended lockdown (to put it mildly), but he fills his time by volunteering extensively for fellow refugees and locals and building bridges. He has volunteered as an interpreter and translator for the UNHCR, IOM, Indonesian immigration authorities and all the people around him. He was also a Migrant Focal Point for Indonesian immigration authorities in his community accommodation. He also helps his fellow refugees cope with medical problems and mental health issues, translating for them at hospitals and doctors’ offices and providing them counseling.

He has also integrated himself into Indonesian society, organizing an English conversation club at a food processing factory, volunteering as a librarian and helping local street children. Also, he is an enthusiastic language teacher and learner, helping fellow refugees learn English and French. Recently, Sayed participated as a speaker in the 2022 Surabaya Sydney Language Festival, explaining the Farsi language to participants. He also does photography projects in his spare time - one of his projects is on female street sellers in Indonesia.

His Dreams

When asked about what he wanted to accomplish in Canada, Sayed said the following:

"I speak fluent English, French, Pashto and Indonesian, and understand Arabic and Urdu. I love learning about other countries and cultures. I also have lots of practical skills from my time as a refugee and then working whilst in university, particularly as a mechanic. I think that my experiences, language and technical skills would help me build a good life in Canada. I had to flee Afghanistan before I finished my Bachelor's degree, but I would like to study languages and international relations if I resettle in Canada.”

One of Sayed's dreams is to work for an international organization, like the UNHCR. He would also love to work for a Canadian NGO that works with refugees. As a long-time refugee, he understands the difficulties people in the same situation face on a daily basis.

The Opportunity

As UNHCR a refugee, Sayed Mohammed Nabi 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 or Mariam Ali by email: mariam.456002@gmail.com. You can donate toward his fundraising campaign here: https://chuffed.org/project/my-friend-sayed-interpreter-volunteer-teacher-and-refugee.

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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