This story comes from a friend in Africa. It’s an account of what it’s like to be a refugee living in Uganda.

My name is Mulumehoderwa Balangalizi, known as Jean Peter. I am Congolese by nationality from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I left my home country because of being kidnapped in 2015. I came to Uganda in 2016, where I live in a refugee settlement camp called Nakivale. I am a permaculture trainer and founder of Unity for Sustainable Development Center, ‘USDC’.

In 2014 I was chosen as a youth councillor and ambassador for our district in Congo, I was chosen to advocate for boys and girls who were been forced into hard labour for the rebel army in that period. Many teenage girls and women were raped and boys were forced to leave schools to support the rebel army. Others were used to exploit minerals (gold, cobalt etc) to enrich the Rebels of M40 called Mai Mai. Because I spoke up for my fellow youths through the mission, the rebel leaders planned to kill me. They kidnapped me for two days. Fortunately, there was a female rebel commandant who warned me of the danger I was in, then helped me escape from being jailed in a hole. After my escape, I fled the DRC immediately for Uganda.

On 23 Feb 2025, I was told that my uncle had been kidnapped by the same bandits who kidnapped me. They had changed their group name; now they are called the ‘Wazalendo Group’. On that night, my uncle was eating dinner with his family when several unknown people entered his house and took him in front of his wife and 5 children. They left the wife and children bound and gagged to stop them shouting for help. Fortunately, my uncle was found in the forest the next morning by some hunters. They helped him home. So by a miracle, my uncle is alive, at least for now.

Dear reader, I’m requesting your support to take me out of Africa with my wife Rachel Dorcus Musimbi and my son Jordan Emmanuel Balangalizi. We are not safe here, where we are 100% at risk. You can contact us on +256784845350 or balangalizamulumeoderhwa@gmail.com Thank you.