Civil conflict and an ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have forced millions of Congolese to flee their homes. Many are able to escape and go to other regions of their country where they live as “internally displaced persons.” Others escape to the safety of neighboring countries where they are housed in refugee camps. One such country which has hosted Congolese refugees is Tanzania. Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania is home to over 100,000 Congolese refugees, many originating from the eastern provinces of the Congo.

Nyarugusu is one of the largest refugee camps in the world with over 150,000 inhabitants. It is sponsored and operated under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Currently, there are over 100,000 Congolese refugees in the camp, the majority being women and children.

Beyond Our Status Congolese Alliance, Inc. was established to address the needs of Congolese from Nyarugusu Refugee Camp who have been resettled in the United States. Our focus is refugees who reside in New York and California. We provide educational and cultural programming, speaker series, and life skills workshops. Humanitarian assistance and educational programming are also provided to refugees in Nyarugusu and those who are in the process of being resettled in the United States.

We are currently raising funds for two special projects.

One project involves sponsoring ten women from Nyarugusu to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference in New York City to be held March 9 - 20, 2020.

The second project entails taking fifteen Congolese refugee youth from Buffalo, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana for a one-week study program. During the program they will be taught by historians, librarians, and archivists about the Congolese influence in 19th century New Orleans slave society and how Congolese culture is reflected in present-day Louisiana. As a means of recognizing the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act which commemorates the first time enslaved Africans were brought to the United States, the students, upon returning to Buffalo, will offer a seminar at a local library detailing their research in New Orleans.

Please consider making a donation to organization. Your donation would help with the implementation of our programs and support the empowerment of Congolese youth and women. Whatever donation you can make will be greatly appreciated.

Contributions can be made through our Donate page.

Thank you for supporting Beyond Our Status Congolese Alliance, Inc.

Isaac Asumani – Executive Director and Co-Founder

Lesia Devers – Co-Founder