An Afghan refugee family have found safety and a new life in the Victorian coastal community of Apollo Bay, thanks to the hard work and persistence of a local community group.

Mohammad Ibrahim worked as an interpreter on an Australian government sponsored aid project in Uruzgan province.

The program built and ran schools for children in one of Afghanistan’s poorest provinces, teaching girls to read in a place where that had not happened before. It vaccinated children and trained midwives and doctors.

Ibrahim was proud to be able to make a contribution to rebuilding his country after years of war.

“Working on those projects was an honour for me to serve my country and also help the Australian government,” he said.

But his work made him a target when the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The Taliban considered Ibrahim was an “infidel”, a person who had worked with the enemy and also a member of the Hazara minority ethnic and religious group.

Ibrahim and his young family fled into the mountains of Bamyan walking through high mountains and remote villages. They lived for four years in caves in the mountains.

For a time, they hid in plain sight in the capital Kabul, afraid to go out even to buy food.

Ibrahim and his family, wife Amina, their son, Daniel, and toddler Helen, rarely spent more than a few weeks in the same place. And sometimes they were forced to flee multiple times in a single day, as the Taliban closed in on them.

Eventually, the family crossed the border into Pakistan, spending three freezing nights standing before the gates, hoping they could get across.

At this point, Ibrahim had a stroke of luck. He had been appealing to Australian contacts online for assistance and eventually he was put in touch with Apollo Bay Rural Australians for Refugees.

The group wrote letters to politicians, they called ministers offices and emailed the departments of defence and home affairs, seeking updates on Ibrahim’s humanitarian visa application.

They also raised money so the family could buy food and clothes and pay rent.

Finally, the group managed to have Ibrahim recognised under Australia’s locally engaged employee (LEE) program, a formal recognition for those who worked with and for Australia in Afghanistan. This represented a pathway for Ibrahim and his family to come to Australia.

But just the light at the end of the tunnel appeared, there was a hitch.

Pakistan had begun deporting Afghans and as he hid just over the border in Pakistan, Ibrahim learned that local police knew where they lived. And with just 36 hours to go before their Pakistan visas expired, they were expecting to be sent back into the grasp of the Taliban.

Then, in the middle of the night, an email arrived carrying four Australian humanitarian visas.

Ibrahim booked flights and gathered his families few possessions that had come with them on their four-year odyssey.

Their flight to Australia left just two hours before the families visas expired.

Apollo Bay Rural Australians for Refugees recently celebrated the arrival of Ibrahim and his family at an event at the local Mechanics Institute.

“Never underestimate the power of kindness. Because what may seem like a small action to you can become the difference between hope and despair for someone else,” Ibrahim told the gathering.

“Many times we lost hope. Many times we thought nobody cared. Many times we wondered if our story would simply disappear among thousands of other stories.

“But then something extraordinary happened. People we had never met decided that our lives mattered. People here in Apollo Bay wrote letters, made phone calls, spoke to politicians, contacted journalists, shared our story, and refused to give up.

“They did not help us because they knew us. They helped us because they believed that every human life has value. That kindness changed everything.

“Today, my children can go to school safely. They can dream about their future. They can sleep without fear,” Ibrahim said.

In the months since their arrival, Ibrahim and his family have set about building a new life in Australia.

The children are attending school for the first time. Ibrahim and Amina are learning English and they have become part of the community.

Angela Thomas, a member of the Rural Australians for Refugees group, said she and her fellow members were thrilled with the outcome for Ibrahim and his family.

“It’s wonderful to see them thriving, and especially the kids, who now have the opportunity to what ever they want with their live,” she said.

“And they are such wonderful people who have been embraced by our community,” Angela said.

The Afghan family who are safe at last and full of hope, thanks to an Australia Pauline Hanson will never know | Australian immigration and asylum | The Guardian