I was born in 1998 in a gash of green between arid sharp mountains in Haidar, Jaghori. If you look through a satellite image, it all looks like deserted altitudes. Even for a wild reptile this region would be a rigorous place to live. But it’s home to uncounted numbers of Hazara. Our ancestors were pushed into the mountains as far as the elderly recall from their elderly. Since then, the mountains have protected us . . . .

- Hussain Shah Rezaie, from “Walk With Me: A Refugee’s Journey to Freedom”

Join 25-year-old Hussain Shah Rezaie on his remarkable journey from a remote Afghan village to a refugee detention facility in Indonesia and finally, after nearly a decade in limbo, to a new life as a permanent resident of Aotearoa New Zealand.

A refugee’s story

The eldest of three children, Hussain dropped out of school at age 14 to support his mother and younger siblings following the mysterious disappearance of his father. At 16, he was captured and beaten by the Taliban and accused of a crime he did not commit. After making a harrowing escape, he was people-smuggled by his terrified family to Indonesia, where he spent the next 9 1/2 years of his life in a series of refugee detention facilities, forbidden to access formal education or to seek paid employment.

Despite crushing boredom and the apparent hopelessness of his situation, Hussain refused to give in to despair. Instead, he embarked on an ambitious program of self-education, learning fluent English and studying subjects such as psychology and creative writing via free videos, courses, and ebooks that he accessed via wifi on an old cellphone.

The road to freedom

In April 2021, Hussain sent an email to Professor Helen Sword at the University of Auckland, founder of the WriteSPACE virtual writing community. In imperfect but eloquent English, he wrote:

Writing has worked yet as a rescuer to the daunting difficulty of my life as a refugee. One of the thing that stand on my way to write is getting access to some high quality writing material, as well as, making connection with experienced and renowned writers for constructive feedback.

Intrigued, Helen organized a WriteSPACE scholarship (paid for by a generous donor in Texas) and began mentoring Hussain online, drawing on other members of the WriteSPACE community to offer their time and expertise. Hussain seized every learning opportunity that came his way, experimenting with a range of genres — fiction, journalism, personal essays, poetry — and developing an ever more nuanced and expressive writing style.

In early 2022, Helen and her husband, Dr Richard Sorrenson, started the uncertain process of sponsoring Hussain to immigrate to New Zealand under a government-sponsored pilot program called the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship scheme. Hussain’s application for permanent residency was approved on October 4th, 2023.

The way forward

Hussain arrived in Auckland on November 29th, 2023 with no money, no formal educational qualifications, and virtually no possessions, aside from the donated laptop on which he has composed an ever-growing collection of short stories, personal essays, and poems. Some of these extraordinary pieces have already been published in international journals such as the Cincinnati Review and the archipelago, where he volunteers as an assistant editor. He is preparing others for dissemination via his new Substack newsletter, Walk With Me.

Hussain aspires to become financially independent as soon as possible, ideally by finding work that will draw on his deep knowledge of refugee issues and his talents as a writer. His long-term dream is to study psychology at the University of Auckland so that he can help other refugees survive and thrive.

Become part of Hussain’s story!

Please help us help Hussain in his development as a writer, his educational aspirations, and his journey to a brighter future.

become a subscriber

Sign up for a paid subscription to Hussain’s new Substack newsletter, Walk With Me, to read his beautiful stories, poetry, and essays about the refugee experience and his new life in Aotearoa. (USD $8/month)

Goal: 100+ paid subscribers

This number will provide Hussain with weekly writing time equivalent to 12 hrs at minimum wage.

make a donation

We welcome all donations, large or small! Every cent that you contribute (minus banking and credit card fees) will go directly towards Hussain’s future educational expenses and related living costs.

Goal: $25,000

This amount will cover 3 years of university tuition and associated expenses.

offer your services

Do you have skills as a teacher, writer, editor, journalist, guidance counsellor, tour guide, barber, barista, or anything else that could help Hussain and his support team? We’d love to hear from you!

Goal: A global community

Hussain will arrive in New Zealand on his own. Let’s make sure that he doesn’t feel alone in the world!