Wemba-koy Okonda

Wemba-koy Okonda was born in 1968 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which over the past 15 years has been ravaged by a series of wars that have left more than five million people dead and at least two million more displaced. In 1997, after the First Congo War broke out, Wemba-koy and his wife fled the DRC, leaving behind family, friends, and all of their possessions. They were afraid to venture into a world where they didn’t know anyone and couldn’t speak the language. But they feared that if they didn’t, Wemba-koy – who was a politician before President Mobutu’s regime was overthrown – would be killed. He and his wife traveled from the DRC to Angola to Brazil to Mexico and, three months after fleeing their homeland, reached the United States. Along the way, people called them names and told them to go back to where they came from. In the U.S., they once again felt respect. In 2002, Wemba-koy and his wife were granted asylum. And in 2005 their children joined him. In school, teachers paid close attention to him. Their belief in him inspired him to study hard. He didn’t want to disappoint them. In 2008, he earned a B.A. Degree in Computing and Software Systems. In 2009, he founded

OkoNGO (www.okongo.org), a non-profit organization designed to help newly arrived Congolese refugees adjust to life in the U.S. And in 2010 he earned an M.A. Degree in Health Services Management. Overcoming the challenges he has faced since leaving the Congo illustrated to Wemba-koy that if you have the courage and try hard enough, you will succeed. World Refugee Day is meaningful to Wemba-koy and his community because it reminds them that with courage and determination – and the compassion of strangers – they can overcome even seemingly insurmountable challenges.