A happy welcome back to Laurent, who began training with BD several years ago but then fell ill and had to leave. He is back on his feet now, determined to find work.
When he was 10, Laurent’s father was appointed a judge in North Kivu, DRCongo. The armed rebels in that area who preyed on villages for food and medicine resisted that authority, so Laurent’s childhood involved a cycle of fleeing and then returning home. When he was 18, Laurent moved to Ituri to become an artisan gold miner (i.e., not employed by a mining company). He married at 20, and went on to raise 7 children and become a pastor. But in 2007, as the political situation deteriorated, he was accused of being a foreigner. Even though his wife was from Ituri and protected, Laurent made the heart-wrenching decision to flee alone to Uganda.
In 2016 Laurent resettled in Rhode Island. He says he thanks God he lives in a place where he can sleep at night and where there is food, jobs, PEACE, and freedom.
Laurent is reliable and determined. He is still eagerly learning English and he’s one of our first trainees to start an internship with a local partner business. He will be with BD into the holidays. Then we look forward to helping him find a job.
