As a 10-year old boy Yusufu saw his house being burnt down and his brothers being killed. It forced him to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to start a new life in Kampala, Uganda, where he met Xavier Project. Listen to his story.
“One day my father was at church overnight, because he’s a pastor. I remember that those soldiers came, they entered in our house and they burnt down the house. They even killed two of my brothers. When my father came back home, he found the house burnt down and people told him: ‘Run very fast, because they want to kill you’.”
This event led Yusufu and his family to flee their home and find refuge in Uganda. “When we moved, we couldn’t take money with us, we weren’t able to pick anything. We just ran. The journey was very hard; everyone went there own way. When we arrived in Uganda, we stayed in a church and didn’t go to school.”
“I have a lot of challenges here in Uganda as well. We are not used to how things go here. We don’t feel free to do anything. Some people are not nice to me. They say: ‘You Congolese, why don’t you go back to your home.’ That can hurt me. And when I remember what we passed through and when I think about my brothers, I feel really bad.”
“They say: ‘You Congolese, why don’t you go back to your home.’”
A few months after Yusufu came into Uganda, he joined our Training Centre in Kampala, where he was being taught English. After this course Xavier Project decided to sponsor his school fees and provide him guidance during his time in school.
“I was very excited. The people from Xavier Project treated us very well. We met teacher Christine there and she was very nice. Apart from paying our school fees, they’re guiding us and giving us advices.”
“After school I want to become a doctor. That’s my dream. Most people are dying these days because of simple diseases. I want to help those people. Where the government cannot reach, I reach there for them.”