Who we are

Zuhal fled from Afghanistan and entered Canada as a refugee in 2022, sponsored by a small group of caring individuals. A young woman working as a human rights advocate, her life was in danger under the returned Taliban regime. Along with 2 other women, Zuhal fled across the border to Pakistan. Questioned at the border as to why there were no men with them, they caught a break – they were in a cell phone dead zone so unable to phone their “men” and the border guard let them through. Supported by her sponsorship group, Zuhal came to Victoria, BC where she improved her English, got a job, and began efforts to bring her family to join her in Canada.

In 2023, a second sponsorship group was formed to bring Zuhal’s parents and her sister, Nilofar, to Canada. Like Zuhal, the 3 had fled Afghanistan and were hiding in Pakistan where they were aided by a local family while Zuhal and her sponsorship group sent them small amounts of money to survive. They were quickly given refugee status by the Canadian government and arrived in Victoria in the summer of 2024. The sponsorship group raised almost $70,000 to support them during their first year, helped them find housing, register for English classes, and get needed medical care as they settled into life in Canada.

And now it is 2025 and a third sponsorship group has been formed to bring Zuhal’s 2 other sisters to Canada and reunite the family. Frozan, Wernita, their spouses and 6 children (5 girls and 1 boy) are in Pakistan. In total, the sponsorship group will need to raise $100,000 to support them when they arrive, half of which must be raised by the time the private refugee sponsorship application is due (at the end of October 2025).

Zuhal tells about her family