Name: Zakir Hussain Moradi and Feroza Moradi

Profile: Hazara refugee from Afghanistan, living in Indonesia.

Advantages: UN-certified, Fluent English speaking, educated, experienced as a volunteer teacher and interpreter, computer skills

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

Zakir was a newborn baby when his father was taken by the Taliban. The rest of his family fled to Pakistan, where he remained stateless and deprived of his father's love. He always tried to educate himself and be helpful to society. His father returned after 22 years, yet Zakir’s difficult days were not over, and the family then escaped to Indonesia.

Despite living in tents since 2019, Zakir and his wife have been volunteering, teaching refugees and interpreting. They are committed to helping those around them and to a better future. They just require five Canadian friends who can sponsor them in a country where they could learn and use their skills to be able to help society.

Childhood

Zakir was born on February 8, 1995, in Karte Sakhi, Kabul, Afghanistan. When he was just a new born baby, his father was taken by some members of the Taliban. Fearing for their lives, his family fled to Quetta, Pakistan hoping to find safety. Zakir grew up in Quetta, Pakistan, without legal documents. But Quetta was not safe for this Hazara family, and they were now stateless.

Background

In 1988, Zakir’s father was a driver, delivering food supplies in their region. The region fell under political strife starting in 1990 and his father found himself accused by the Taliban for working for the other side. One night in February 1995, some members of the Taliban approached Zakir’s home and took his father to an unknown place, where he was badly tortured. He remained captive for two weeks until one of the members of the Taliban then attacked Zakir’s father with a knife and cut a vein in his wrist, and he fainted.

The next morning, Zakir’s father awoke to find himself in a hospital. It was prayer time, and he was able to escape from the hospital. He ran to the city, and with the help of his friend, he fled to Shiraz, Iran. He was not able to work due to his wrist, so he became a watchman there. Unfortunately, he could not get any information about his family.

During this time, Zakir’s mother was very frightened. She got a message to her brother in Pakistan about what had happened, so he came and helped Zakir’s family flee to Pakistan two weeks after their father left. They did not know where Zakir’s father was and they started to believe that his father was dead.

Life in Pakistan

Zakir’s family faced poverty and destitution in absence of his father. His elder brother (Ali Reza) got married and fled to Australia because of the persecution and massacres of the Hazara people in Quetta, Pakistan. Zakir’s second brother fled to Indonesia in 2013.

Zakir was always aware of his father’s absence. On January 29, 2017, he got married to one of his classmates, Feroza.

“That was the happiest day of my life but as usual, I felt alone and missed my father a lot, the person I had never seen.”

His education

After high school, Zakir was not allowed to continue his studies because he was a refugee without papers. But he kept studying the English language and received a diploma on August 1, 2015. Then, he continued teaching in English language centers and tutoring at home.

The good news

In March 2017, there was a funeral in Shiraz, Iran, where many Afghan refugees gathered. There, Zakir’s father started communicating with the person beside him. This person turned out to be his brother-in-law’s son who then contacted his father, Zakir’s uncle, and told him to take the cellphone to Zakir’s mother.

”We were eating our lunch when my uncle came and surprised my mother by saying that her husband was found alive and healthy in Shiraz, Iran. Then we all started crying with joy.”

Ten days later, Zakir’s father arrived in Quetta, and met his lost family.

After the government of Pakistan decided to deport refugees living in Pakistan, Zakir’s father didn’t want to take risk of being caught and killed by the Taliban. So, he arranged for a smuggler to take them to Indonesia.

Journey to a helpless life

The people smuggler drove Zakir’s family to Qandahar, Afghanistan, on October 6, 2017. On the same day, they flew to Kabul, where they stayed for two nights. Then they flew to New Delhi, India, and stayed there for a day. On October 9, they flew to Malaysia and then on to Indonesia.

After they were registered at the UNHCR office on October 11, they stayed in Jakarta for a few months. Then they were sent to Bogor, where Zakir started volunteering at the Refugee Learning Centre and acting as a volunteer interpreter.

With no right to work and support themselves, Zakir’s family finished their savings and came in front of the UNHCR office for asking for help. On July 11, 2019, they were brought to an unfacilitated camp. Since then, they have been living in tents, but Zakir and his wife do not let that stop them from helping their fellow refugees. He and his wife are still volunteering and teaching the English language inside a mosque in the accommodation. He also has basic computer skills, like MS Excel, Photoshop and video editing. Also, his elder brother is interpreting for sick refugees.

The innocent hopes

Zakir and Feroza are hopeful to find friends who can help them sponsor to Canada where they can fulfill their dreams. As Zakir says,

“We have the ability but not the right to study and be what we want. My wife has always been wanting to be a nurse and help the world and I want to be a teacher.”

As UNHCR refugees, Zakir and Feroza are eligible for Canada’s private sponsorship program. They need a group of five Canadian friends to support him.

To help support Zakir and Feroza as a sponsor, please contact his friend Stephen Watt on Facebook.

You can also reach out to Zakir Hussain directly on Facebook.

Reach out and discover how wonderful it is to privately sponsor a good couple to start a new life – with your help – in Canada!

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