Afghanistan siblings fundraising to reunite with family in Saskatoon

They were born in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, but were evacuated when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, leaving behind their parents and three younger siblings.

The Jamili family belong to the Hazara ethnic group and practices the Shia faith — both of which put targets on their backs from the Taliban.

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“When I moved from Afghanistan that day, I didn’t have that much time to say goodbye to my younger brother,” said Ali. “My dad wasn’t there, he was at work, and then I left home.”

Kamila said she worked at a German environmental facility in Afghanistan, which meant she would have been seen as helping foreign nations by the Taliban, putting her in danger. The siblings said they left in very rushed states, with not much planning around where they would go. Initially, Kamila went to Pakistan, while Ali went to Turkey.

A private sponsorship from Climate Justice Saskatoon helped bring Kamila to Canada in 2022, and Ali followed last year.

Currently, Kamila works as an educational assistant with Saskatoon Public Schools and Ali is working on completing high school while working as a custodian.

When the two reunited after almost two years apart, they said words couldn’t describe it.

“I received everything I had just left behind,” said Kamila. “When he came here I thought ‘He is just not my little brother; he is my whole family.'”

“When I arrived in Saskatoon, when I saw her I feel like I was born again,” said Ali. “I couldn’t talk, I was crying … now I feel like she is my mom, my dad, my sister and my brothers — she is everything for me.”

Kamila and Ali’s parents and siblings later made it to Pakistan, and it has been more than three years since the siblings last saw their family together. They are now working with a private sponsorship group to raise funds to bring their relatives to Saskatoon.

The pair said they need to raise around $47,000 and are already halfway there.

While everything has been going well, Kamila said she doesn’t want to get too far ahead of herself.

“If we plan to meet them but couldn’t, or we couldn’t raise the money, it’s scary,” said Kamila.

Ali said he hopes to get the chance to apologize to his dad for not being able to say goodbye when he left.

“If I can see him again I will hug him and kiss him and say sorry,” said Ali.

Nathalie Baudais, a representative with Climate Justice Saskatoon’s sponsorship group, said new immigration laws have made it more difficult for refugees to get into Canada.

“They are also limiting the number of permanent resident applicants, and that’s how these refugees are coming in,” said Baudais. “We’re still very hopeful, but we don’t have that clarity yet.”

Baudais said they don’t yet know how many seats will be allocated to refugees and Kamila and Ali’s family will require five places.

“Private sponsors in Canada are required to cover all living expenses for the first year of a refugee’s resettlement, including housing, groceries, utilities, and other essentials,” said Baudais.

Having family members in Canada does raise your chances of being chosen, said Baudais.

—With files from 650 CKOM’s Will Mandzuk