Name: Setaesh

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, excellent English skills, experienced as an interpreter and a teacher, Studying GED (General Educational Development)

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

Setaesh’s father was a policeman and was disappeared by the Taliban. She was a student when a Pashtun man tried to force her to pour poison into the drinking water tank of the school, she somehow fled to Indonesia by boat in 2015.

While living alone in a strange country and facing a number of difficulties, she continued learning the English language, then she started volunteering as a teacher and interpreter.

She hopes now to find five Canadian friends who can sponsor her so that she can get proper education and meet her mother after a long time.

Her Story

Setaesh was born on January 1, 2000 in a small village in the Ghazni province in Afghanistan. Her town was located on the border of an area dominated by the Taliban and the Pashtun, the largest population group 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. On the other hand, Setaesh’s father was a policeman, and the Taliban don’t spare those who work with the government.

One day in 2014, when Setaesh’s mother got sick, they had no choice but to take her to the hospital which was in the city of Ghazni. While her mother and father were on their way to the city, the Taliban stopped them and took her father with them.

“My mother started crying and begging them to let my father be with her, but they threatened her to be quiet otherwise they would kill her.”

The driver took Setaesh’s mother to the city. She called her brother (Setaesh’s uncle), then he came and took her to the doctor.

“I kept waiting for my father, but I didn’t hear anything about him.”

Threatened

In 2015, Setaesh was a student in school, which was in her village. There was a Pashtun man who used to sell snacks in front of the school, and students used to buy snacks from him.

One day, when Setaesh went to buy some snacks, the Pashtun man tried to give her a black shopper which was filled with poison and told her to pour that poison into the drinking water tank in the school. When She refused, the Pashtun man started threatening her to death

“I was so scared. I saw other students far from me, so I ran fast and joined them. “

When she arrived home, she told her mom what had happened. Her mom was so scared because she had already lost her husband and she didn’t want to lose her daughter too. So, she went to her uncle’s home where they decided to send Setaesh to a safe place. Her uncle arranged for a people smuggler, and after some days she went to Kabul with her uncle.

Her Way to Indonesia

In 2015, she flew from Kabul to New Delhi, India and stayed there for four days, and then she flew to Malaysia and stayed there for 6 days. She arrived in Medan, Indonesia by boat and then traveled to Jakarta where she called her uncle, and her uncle told her to contact an old friend of her father, who was living in Bogor with his family. After registering herself at the UNHCR office, she started living in Bogor with them.

Her Life Now

In 2017, Setaesh moved to Jakarta. Despite living a limbo life in a strange country since 2015, Setaesh learned the English language from Refugee Learning Centre, and she has been working as an interpreter at Church World Service (CWS), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Also, she has been teaching at Help Learning Centre since 2018.

Now, she studies GED (General Educational Development).

Waiting

Setaesh is eagerly waiting to see her mom again. As she says,

“My mother is sick and I can’t do anything for my lovely mom, I cry every night especially when I miss her. She says that she wants to see me for once, then she doesn’t care what will happen.”

An Opportunity

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

As a UNHCR refugee, Setaesh is eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program.

To help support Setaesh as a sponsor, please contact Stephen Watt 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!

Thank you for your support. And help spread the word by sharing this post!