Majanga and Etindo are brothers, born just a year apart during a time of unrest. Majanga was born in DR Congo, and Etindo many miles away in the famous Nyargusu refugee camp (Tanzania). This is where the boys lived for 23 years before they arrived in Rhode Island in December 2022.
Life in Nyargusu involved friends, soccer, siblings, and gardening to cope with food shortages. They attended classes through middle school. As they got older Majanaga found work helping build houses while Etindo learned to drive a motorcycle and worked for a friend with a taxi service. Both were members of competitive dance crews–a very big deal in the camp.
Life in Nyargusu involved waiting. Their extended family was notified in 2015 that they’d be resettled in the US. Etindo and Majanga are the first to arrive. During those 7 years, Etindo got married and had 2 children. The rest of their family is supposed to arrive “within another 3 years or so!” Etindo’s wife and children are not even part of that resettlement case, meaning not yet in the pipeline to join him. He uses WhatsApp to talk with them daily, but this is the beginning of a painful wait.
Their lives are speeding up. During December they remember staring out the window. In January they joined Beautiful Day and learned to make granola and work on a team. Now they are graduating and starting new full time jobs. We’re proud of their hard work and patience and look forward to hearing about their future successes.
