My name is Ahmad Shakir Ensafy from Afghanistan; I am also a recent graduate from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science. I am reaching out to you to support my brother Naim Ensafy and his family in their journey to safely immigrate to Canada. They are currently registered as persons of concern with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan. We have been granted the opportunity to privately sponsor them for resettlement in Canada, but we need your help to raise over 40,000 Canadian dollars to process their refugee claim. Without meeting this funding requirement, their chance of being sponsored will be lost forever. Funds collected will be transferred to the sponsorship agreement holder’s account, and then the SAH will financially support the refugee family for a year after they arrive in Canada.

Background on Naim Ensafy's Life:

Naim Ensafy, born in the Helmand province of Afghanistan in the 1980s, has faced immense challenges throughout his life. As the oldest of his five siblings, he assumed the role of a father figure when our father served in the military and later in the police force, often risking his life on dangerous missions. Naim took on the responsibility of caring for our family alongside our mother. Naim has experienced displacement and has been a refugee for his entire life. Growing up in Helmand province, he was forced to leave his childhood behind when our father was transferred to Kabul province. Subsequently, the civil war erupted, and his home in Afshaar-e Silo was destroyed, leading him to escape to the Jaghori district of Ghazni province.

In Ghazni province, despite being a teenager and facing the presumed loss of our father at the hands of warlords, Naim remained resilient. He cared for his siblings, cultivated crops, and completed his high school education in the Jaghori district. However, when the Taliban came into power for the first time, they posed economic sanctions on the Jaghori district. Our family was forced to move again, this time to Helmand province. In Helmand, Naim took on even greater responsibility by becoming a volunteer teacher, following in the footsteps of our father and sister. Our family played a vital role in teaching, resulting in the establishment of Sayed-Abad High School in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

Seeking to expand his horizons, he began working with renowned UN organizations such as WFP and UNOPS. Despite facing numerous challenges, including his eldest child Nazir's battle with cancer, Naim's determination never wavered.

In 2006, Naim received a merit scholarship to Pune University in India. However, during his studies in 2008, he experienced a sudden seizure in the classroom and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Naim has since undergone three surgeries—one in 2008 in India, Pune city at Jehangir Hospital, and two times in 2011 and 2017, both in Pakistan, Karachi city at The Agha Khan University Hospital—he also endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy; he still requires medication and regular MRI scans to monitor the tumor’s progress. While under treatment, he worked with IAP, a US-based contractor with the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan. As a result of his work with IAP and our father’s senior position in the Afghan National Police, he faced severe security threats and was attacked by terrorists.

In 2017, Afghanistan was not safe anymore for Naim and his wife; they left Afghanistan and made the difficult decision to leave their five children behind in the hopes that their children can continue their education in Kabul. However, following the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021, our entire family was forced to flee Afghanistan due to my father's affiliation with the Afghan National Police and Naim's association with foreign NGOs like IAP. As a result, their children have been deprived of education ever since.

Now, Naim and his family have been granted an incredible opportunity to start a new life in Canada. This opportunity not only offers them safety and security but also the chance for their children to receive a standard education. Let us come together and support their dreams.