An Alberta firm has launched a fundraising marketing campaign to assist a Calgary man who’s now in Turkey aiding injured relations.
Mohammad Ajmal Nikzad left Calgary on February 6 to seek for his household, who stay within the devastated Turkish metropolis of Kahramanmaraş.
The seven-story constructing during which his mom and three siblings lived is in ruins. Nikzad’s mom and sister are lifeless and his surviving sister and brother are in a critical situation in hospitals in numerous cities.
“Proper now I’ve to get them out of right here,” he mentioned in an interview with World Information from the Turkish metropolis of Kayseri.
“I’ve to take them to my home in Calgary. I’ve to care for them on the market as a result of I am unable to go away them on this scenario.”
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Nikzad works as a contractor putting in flooring in southern Alberta. The president of A Gallery of Flooring in Olds, Alta., north of Calgary, describes Nikzad as a tough employee who has been with the corporate for about 10 years.
“We’re a tight-knit group right here. AJ was a vital a part of our firm. He is like household to all of us,” mentioned Shaun Waite from his workplace in Olds.
“His spouse despatched us a video of the collapsed constructing and all of us knew at that time that it was going to be a tough journey for AJ and we needed to do all the pieces we might to help him as a result of he’s a part of our household.” mentioned Waite, who began a GoFundMe marketing campaign to assist his good friend.
“Nobody can actually think about the ache and stress and anxiousness that he should really feel and undergo.
“We now have lots of respect for him. And he’s such a tough employee. He’s such a tough employee that he actually takes care of his household.”
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Nikzad mentioned his household is initially from Afghanistan however moved to Turkey when his father was killed and his mom, who was a principal at a highschool, acquired dying threats.
“She got here to Turkey to be protected. She had 6,000 college students and she or he fought for ladies to review,” mentioned Nikzad.
“She’s going to by no means permit their faculty to be closed till they kill my father on the market too.”
Waite mentioned Nikzad’s journey makes his story much more heartbreaking. He hopes that cash from the fundraiser will assist Nizkad’s household in Turkey and in Calgary.
“He is a contractor, so if he isn’t working, he isn’t creating wealth. He has been gone for 3 weeks now. He has his spouse and eight-year-old son… he has to take care of his brother and his sister, who’ve misplaced limbs. They’re in for a troublesome street for themselves.
“We’re going to do issues on the retailer with donation containers. We’ll do some gross sales right here and revenue sharing – no matter we will. He isn’t creating wealth, so we’re all going to do our greatest to do what we will. However we all know no matter we will supply … it is not going to be sufficient,” Waite mentioned.
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