I was born in the the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and raised by a farmer couple. I am the 2nd born of 12 kids and was taught at a very young age to run whenever I see a white man. I started school early as my father had to change my age so that I might be accepted, so instead of 5, I was 7. I was not an easy boy and I specialized in deflating car tires which in turn I was rewarded with many nights sleeping outside and getting many repetitive corrective slaps. At age 9 I was baptized and spent much of my 10th year hospitalized with kidney problems. In 1991, at age 12, the government was in an unstable period and parents were obliged to pay teachers for us to continue studying. My parents could not afford bearing such a huge family so I started helping my parents by doing small trading business with soaps. I would walk 25 km to buy the soap and then sell it at a slightly higher price. I would spend many days fishing with my siblings for food. It was tough.

In 1994, Rwandan people fled their country into ours due to war. I spent many nights guarding the family properties and became one of the young activists to protect the village from the spies during the cold war. I finished school with my uncles help but it required me to wake up at 4 to help with the cows, go to school and then come home and work again until late and go to bed without eating anything. I learned to be a good shepherd but it was so tough. That same year I witnessed massive killings of refugees in a camp as they were attacked at night. It was such horror, all through the night I would hear noises of gunshots and was commanded by soldiers to carry dead bodies out of the roads on my way to school.

As I started University I became involved in many high risk political debates as a leader and many died. I studied along with 700 other students in a very confined space, sitting on the floor or standing the whole day in a noisy environment with a pretending, apparent lecture in the front. I was one of only 70 to succeed that year. After graduation I started working as a medical assistant and then was later sent to Rwanda where I had to administrate a hospital. God was there and made me escape death and prison.

I soon, however, returned to Goma. Devastation hit as my young sister died, robbers destroyed my home and I was left without shelter or job. It was at this time that I started many NGO’s (Non Government Organizations) helping many people. It came to a point in life that eating was useless, and sleep was useless while 100 people were knocking the whole night at your door or crying to you for help knowing you are their only source of comfort. I had no smile!!!

In 2006, I was hospitalized for some weeks. My office was robbed several times and was loosing terribly in everything. Some of my active members were killed by rebels, others displaced or enrolled in thearmy. I did escape by hiding in the hospital in my uniform every night. Some of my siblings died in my arms in the hospital due to epidemic or gun shot wounds. I was depressed and in righteous anger. I knew I would be killed soon. I trusted the protective hand of God.

I received many requests from some political leaders to help in their campaign but most of them had dirty hands, so I refused. I was obliged to flee my country at night on the 24th of August 2006, to an unknown place. It took me four months to arrive to South Africa traveling without passport, by land, sea, train, crossing borders by foot… my family and friends back home thought I was dead as I did not say goodbye to anybody, not even my mother.