My friend, a refugee from DRC
A story of a refugee who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC):
I grew up in a beautiful region of Democratic Republic of Congo. My country has a lot of political problems and this has made life very difficult for Congolese people like me.
One day, my village was attacked and most of my family died. I was really worried this would get my family into trouble so I fled to Kakuma refugee camp. I found it hard to get in touch with my family back home. I tried to contact them through the community but no one knew where they were.
Eventually, someone told me my sister-in-law was living in the same camp too. I was so glad to see her again! She supported me and helped me take a tailoring course. But we never heard from the rest of our family. Life in the camp was difficult. Neither my sister-in-law nor I could find proper work. We were worried about her children. They were growing up in the camp, but there was no future for them.
We applied for resettlement to Canada because we wanted better opportunities for our family. I’ve now been in Canada for almost 6 years. I think Canadian people are wonderful. The big difference I that I have seen in this country is that people like peace. They respect one another and they have civil rights. I’ve learnt that it’s very difficult to get a job here without qualifications. I’m looking for work, but I’m also learning English. I still haven’t been able to contact the rest of my family.
by TG, Canada
posted: Tuesday, 24th June, 2014
