Posted
by Natasha Harris, West Coast Senior Director
From Kjerstin Erickson,
Founder and Executive Director of FORGE:
"I just received this story from
our field staff about a
man named Antoine, a Congolese refugee who has been running one
of our computer training labs since 2005. We’ve all worked closely with
Antoine for the past 2 years, yet strangely nobody knew his story. It’s energizing and
refreshing to hear about the things that the people around you have overcome –
and with what strength and poise, you’d never know the difference…".
Antoine was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1981. When he was a 17 year-old
schoolboy, the war came to his village. Because Antoine’s father’s job was to report
on human rights abuses, Antoine’s family became a natural target for the
invading army. They raided his home, tied his father to a tree, and began
to beat him. The family fled to the bush for safety, but as they ran they
heard gunshots ring through the night. They didn’t hear from their father
again,
and were convinced of his murder. After his father’s death,
Antoine went to live with an uncle. His uncle owned a computer and taught
Antoine some basic computer skills, enough to land him a job upon completion of high
school. As he worked, Antoine’s goal was always to go to college to
further his computer education.
In 2003, five years after his father’s disappearance and presumed death,
Antoine received a letter with his father's handwriting and signature.
Shocked and thrilled to hear that his father had survived, Antoine and his family traveled to Zambia to
reunite.
Their father had made it to Kala Kala Refugee Camp in Zambia, where
he had been trying to reach his family for the past 5 years. Because his
father could not return to Congo
for fear of his life, the family decided to stay together in Kala camp. When
FORGE went to establish a computer lab in Kala in 2005, Antoine’s computer
experience made his the natural choice for Computer Instructor. Antoine accepted the
opportunity to help his fellow refugees learn the same skills that had helped
him in life, and for the past 2 years has been teaching a full load of classes in English, French and
Swahili. During this time, Antoine has written a computing textbook over
400 pages long in simple French, including topics in computer basics, Word, Excel,
Access, Power Point, and Internet Explorer. With Congolese
refugees now returning home, many of Antoine's former students have contacted
him, reporting that they had secured jobs because of their basic computer
knowledge. Antoine is ready to go to college, but refuses to leave until his
assistants at the Computer
Center are ready to take
over in full. In his time with FORGE, Antoine has learned the many ways that his skills can
benefit others. When he returns to college, he will study humanitarian
organization management. To this, he says, "I now know much about
computers, so I'm dreaming to one day help other refugees when my refugee
status is gone."
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