From dream to reality

Man’s quest brings family from Congo to town, safety

BRANFORD >> Espoir and Chantal Ndiho had two options. They could continue to raise their family in their South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, home and risk being killed, or they could seek refuge in a neighboring country.

At the time, it was the height of the Second Congo War — a battle that claimed 5 million lives and is considered to be the deadliest conflict since World War II.

With their 1-year-old daughter and the clothes they could carry strapped to their backs, the Ndihos set out on foot to a refugee camp in Burundi, nearly 250 miles away from their village in the DRC. For two weeks, the couple and their daughter, Digne, walked to what would be their new home — a white tent.

And even though the refugee camp provided the Ndihos with an escape from the war unfolding back at home, they were unable to break free of the conflict’s ramifications. Food was scarce, living conditions were deplorable and too many died from starvation or illness, Espoir Ndiho said. “We lived a good life, but because of the war, they came into my country. It was bad conditions in the camp. A lot of people died. There was no food, no hope, no life.”

After uprooting their daughter, Digne — who is now 13 — and relocating to Burundi, the Ndihos began a 500-mile journey to Uganda, where they lived for 10 years as refugees. There, they welcomed daughters Stephanie, 10, and Deborah, 8.

But it wasn’t until they moved to Mbarara, Uganda, that they were given a piece of hope for a better future, they said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNY WYNNE Since May 2012, Branford resident Kenny Wynne, 24, has been working on giving Ugandan refugees a better life by providing them with permanent housing, schooling, medical supplies and resources.