Help Two Iranian Refugees Reach Safety

Help Khashayar and Sajad Find Safety: My Best Friend and His Boyfriend Fleeing Persecution

My name is Pouya Nikmand and I'm starting this fundraiser for Khashi, my best friend, and Sajad, his boyfriend.

Shortly after meeting and falling in love with each other, Khashi and Sajad fled Iran, where being gay can mean facing imprisonment, violence, or even death. They sold everything they had to buy a ticket to Turkey, where they lived as refugees.

Due to the rising anti-immigrant sentiment, their asylum status was denied. They now face the terrifying prospect of being kidnapped, put into detention camps, and deported back to Iran, where their lives would be in immediate danger.

Having only a few more weeks of legal residence in Turkey, these two brave young men, with my help, have found a path to safety in Malaysia as a temporary refuge to give them enough time and safety to rebuild their lives free from persecution for the next few years. To secure their future, they need to enroll in an English language school, and later, a college, which will provide them with the student visa they need to stay in the country legally while they look into ways to immigrate to a tolerant country.

What They Need to Survive:

Once they're settled and have their student visas, Khashi and Sajad would be able to support themselves through online work. They're not asking for long-term support – just the initial help they need to reach safety and start building a new life.

Why This Matters:

Do you know how amazing it is to have a best friend in your life? Not best of your friends, but an all-in type of friend. A friend who knows you so well he can predict the next thing you'll say? A friend who sees you better than you see yourself? A friend whom you love so much that his laughs and cries never cease to make you laugh and cry?

Khashi is that friend to me. And if he is killed in Iran, I won't ever be able to return to a normal life.

Every dollar brings them closer to safety, to a life where they can live amazing lives and love openly without fear. Khashi loves (and has studied) psychology, music, and cooking. Sajad loves (and has skills in) photography, design, and cosmetology. It might sound simple to you, but they risked their lives just to have a chance to spend a day doing what they love.

Your contribution isn't just financial support – it's a lifeline for two people whose only "crime" was being the lovely people they are.

Please help Khashi and Sajad reach safety. No amount is too small, and sharing this campaign helps just as much as donating.

Thank you for being part of their journey to freedom.