KENT COUNTY, Mich — "Everyone has his own story, but you never know that what he has been experiencing before in the past."
And what Didasi Mbongya has experienced is more than what some people do in a lifetime.
Now 22, Mbongya came to the U.S. in August of 2020, after spending his formative years in Eastern Africa.
Mbongya is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was raised in a refugee camp in Tanzania.
"I was born in a refugee camp, but [my relatives] were the ones that's kind of like, sees everything. And so I think, yeah, there is. We just hear from them speaking, like people get slaughtered," Mbongya told FOX 17.
The Congo is a country that's seen ongoing violence for years, with more than 6 million deaths since 1996, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Millions more have been displaced since then.
"But there was lots of, there are a lot of families and there is even 1000s and 1000s families in the refugee camp," says Mbongya. "Because, you know, we live in a refugee camp. Like, you feel like you're not home, you're not safe and stuff like that. There is a lot of rules. And a lot of restrictions are like, you can't raise animals, you can do this, you can do this."
While enduring the hardships of living in a refugee camp with his family, Didasi made it a point to get an education, and even did an internship while in Tanzania, focusing on areas of gender-based violence and women's empowerment.
All this, while waiting to come to America.
"When our process of coming to the U.S. started, it took almost more than five years until we come here. So it wasn't easy," said Mbongya.
In August of 2020, at the age of 19, Didasi arrived in the U.S.
He already had his high school diploma, but did end up having to finish a couple of credits with Lighthouse Academy.
Eventually, his family was put in touch with the Refugee Education Center, based in Kentwood, which has served more than 8,000 people since its inception in 2006.
"Refugee children are often coming here, with maybe they've stopped out of education for part of the time or their education, educational experience is just really different than the U.S. system. It's very, very important to their families that they are successful in their academics," says Meg Derrer, executive director of the Refugee Education Center.
Derrer says Didasi had been a student of theirs through the Center's Graduate & Grow program.
"He has just become so successful," says Derrer.
That success has included Didasi attending Grand Rapids Community College, where he's been studying international relations.
He has plans to go to Grand Valley State University in the fall for his bachelor's degree.
"So I think education is really, really cool. Because it's kind of like, open your eyes to do more than you thought," says Mbongya.
And Didasi, who is fluent in four languages: French, Swahili, English and Kibembe, is now using his speaking skills to help others.
Didasi went on to found Didas' Language Facility in Grand Rapids.
"We're here like, just to make sure we bridge those culture and language or linguistic barriers between like that we have within our community," says Mbongya.
The facility helps people new to America with translation needs, and settling into life in Michigan, all while showing the world the importance of giving chances.
"Because refugees, sometimes they, people think like they're just, they don't know what they're doing. Probably they're just don't understand what's going on, but they're smart. We have people and we have people can do things, and you can get things done," says Mbongya.
Didasi's work towards helping others doesn't end there.
He's also volunteered as an interpreter at the Secretary of State to help people get driver's licenses, and was also selected for the National Youth Leadership Council for Refugees and Newcomers.
"If I had to say one sentence to describe myself, I'd say, 'Unaffiliated agents for social, political and economic positive changes, not just changes, but positive changes,'" Mbongya says.
