One morning Alinoti woke up as masked intruders broke into their house, stabbed his father and helped themselves to the family’s meager possessions and food.

 

As the family watched, helpless, their small home by the Congo river where Alinoti, 14, had lived with his 7 siblings and his parents, was vandalized. The political situation had become increasingly nightmarish in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What had once been peaceful stretches of fertile land had for months now become bloody battlefields, with innocent farmers victimized by warlords and rebels. Alinoti’s neighborhood had endured the loss of many to random exploitation and killing.

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His mom became hysterical at the sight of her husband bleeding and the family rushed him to the village medicine man. This was the last straw. That night, the family fled, piling onto the family raft and managing to make it downstream towards Kolwezi and finally, Zambia. Through a chance encounter with an international agency, they were fortunate enough to find help, qualify as refugees and after a long waiting and vetting period received their papers to travel to Detroit. Alinoti and his family now live in a 2 bedroom home in downtown Detroit.  Alinoti’s dad who speaks a few words of English found a job at a local metal parts company and works sorting and packaging stamped parts. Wheels for Change provided support to Alinoti’s family from applying for assistance, to getting his siblings enrolled in schools, providing school supplies, and assisting with filling out job applications.

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Alinoti and his family now are settling in. He hopes to return to his farming roots by working in an urban garden with his dad and siblings in Detroit to give back to the community that did so much to support him.