Mozhgan Moarefizadeh
Mozhgan is a human rights advocate, public speaker and legally trained refugee law paralegal, with a Bachelor’s degree in English Teaching and Translation.
In 2013 Mozhgan moved to Indonesia with her parents and younger brother. Over the next few years she became increasingly involved in supporting refugee communities, first as a trained interpreter by the American university of Cairo assisting the Suaka Legal Aid Program of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, then as a paralegal assisting asylum seekers to draft applications for asylum and supporting the work of International Refugee Lawyers in Indonesia. She speaks 4 languages, English, Farsi, Dari and Bahasa Indonesia.
Mozhgan is the co-founder of the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Center, a member of the Jakarta Refugee Network, a founding member of the Jakarta Refugee Advocacy Network (JAPPSI), coordinates multiple programs in support of refugee communities including hygiene and food packages, eye and dental care clinics, connecting individuals with medical assistance and responding to legal aid inquiries. She writes for publications and speaks at events, seminars, conferences Internationally.
She is the co-host and reporter on “The Wait” podcast, produced by Nicole Curby, this 5 part documentary podcast brings you into the lives of refugees in Indonesia like never before. Check it out at www.thewaitpodcast.com or any other podcasting app.
Mozhgan is also a refugee recognised under the UNHCR’s 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee stranded in a transit country without any rights.
You have many options for keeping up with Mozhgan, if you can: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram ,Facebook or Email.
Jafar Salemi
Jafar was born and raised in south of Iran by Persian father and Arabic mother.
After completing high school and starting a job in graphic design, he was forced to leave Iran because of his sexual orientation.
Upon arrival Jafar connected with the Iranian community, who then nominated him to participate in the first CCIP Introductory Training in Community Interpreting for Migrant and Refugee Aid Settings in Indonesia, held by The American University in Cairo and Jesuit Refugee Service.
For the next 4 years Jafar volunteered as an official Interpreter and translator for variety of organizations that provides support to the community, including JRS and Suaka.
He is the co-founder of the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Center.
In September 2018, Jafar was finally resettled in Canada. He has been studying UX design ever since, and has used his skills and experience to improve the integration of newly arrived queer refugees.
Based in Montreal, Quebec, he is currently continuing his career as a UX designer.
Our beginning:
Since shortly after arriving in Indonesia, the then future co-founders of RAIC have volunteered to assist and support asylum seekers and refugees, and still continued asking themselves how they could do more. The ‘That’s it!’’ moment for the two friends finally came together over a chicken sandwich lunch in 2017.
Both had earlier completed interpreter training for refugees, and both had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of asylum seekers and refugees who came to them begging for help. So overwhelming was the constant flow of desperate people, people just like them who were ashamed of their asylum seeker and refugee status, and so difficult was it to constantly try and help people who had completely lost of all hope, Mozhgan struggled with the constant demands and horrible stories of persecution she was hearing, and twice changed phone numbers to ensure some self-care for herself. Luckily she had a lot of support from friends and was always able to return to helping people.
After becoming community interpreters for refugees, they both started interpreting for a few refugee lawyers during interviews with people whose first applications to UNHCR had been rejected. A small, new Indonesian network called Suaka, supported by the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, was assisted by international refugee lawyers, who volunteered at various times between 2014 and early 2017. Interpreting for these experienced refugee lawyers and watching them carefully draw out a person’s story to see if it fit the international legal criteria to become a refugee, Mozhgan and Jafar understood how important legal assistance is. They realised many asylum seekers, including themselves, had no idea how the UNHCR process worked, what the criteria to become a refugee was, or what was expected of them during UNHCR interviews. After becoming educated about these things, many of the people they interpreted for were found to be refugees on appeal.
All of this bought home to them how completely vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees are, and also that every single person in the refugee community was struggling with the same issues. They were also becoming close friends with more and more Indonesians, who were endlessly understanding and supportive. But what else could they do?
Mozhgan tried informational Facebook pages and started a petition, without much success.
Jafar volunteered at a refugee school started by another trained community interpreter, and met even more Indonesians who were supportive of and wanted to help refugees.
Jafar had recently completed a free online marketing course and was using his new skills to interview asylum seekers and refugees to find out what information would be most helpful while they waited in their host country, Indonesia. Some Indonesian friends also educated Jafar about the use of phone applications for sharing information.
Then came the chicken sandwiches moment. When Jafar shared his ideas with over lunch a light went on for them both. The plan to build an informational website was born. Jafar and Mozhgan were both so happy that finally there may be a way to help a lot of people by providing basic information.
Other people and moments went into this story. A UNHCR officer told Jafar there are some Indonesian organisations helping refugees; BUT refugees need to also help each other. A friend of Mozhgan’s asked them to write a proposal, was very impressed with the outcome, and spoke with her friends to cover website costs.
Many many weeks and months of hard work and stress and talking with people later, the website is live.
Mozhgan and Jafar are beyond excited to provide this information to everyone, and welcome the involvement of anyone from the refugee community who can provide information for our pages from different areas of Indonesia.