Corio man flees war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo in search of better life for family

Parfait Bukuru Bulinyanya dreamt of safety and a new life for his young family, far away from war and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Parfait Bukuru Bulinyanya escaped the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now lives with his family in Corio. Picture: Alison Wynd

Parfait Bukuru Bulinyanya dreamt of helping people in his small village in central Africa.

The 45-year-old’s passion for helping those less fortunate than himself led him to becoming a teacher and studying community service at university.

But as war and violence crept closer to his hometown of Lemera, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he knew he had to escape before it was too late.

Speaking in Swahili through a translator, Mr Bulinyanya said he was forced to flee the DRC in 2010.

“The DRC hasn’t been in a good state,” he said.

Since the 1990s, more than six million people have been forced to flee the DRC due to clashes between militant groups, rising political tensions and wide spread violence, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Mr Bulinyanya walked for a day with his twin brother from his hometown, in the DRC’s east, towards Burundi, a neighbouring country in eastern Africa.

On the way, a local pastor offered them transport on a large truck to Bujumbura, a city in Burundi.

The almost 60km journey took three days on bumpy, dirt roads in the African heat before they settled in a refugee camp.

Mr Bulinyanya met his now wife, Riziki Merry Anuarite, inside the refugee camp shortly after arriving.

“We started to get to know each other and I found out she had also left DRC because of the war,” he said.

“We connected because of that.”

After about a year of dating, the pair married in a civil ceremony in 2011 at the camp before welcoming their first child, Ornella, later that year and twin boys, Daniel and Gabrielle, in 2013.

Parfait Bukuru Bulinyanya and his wife Riziki Merry Anuarite with their 12-year-old daughter Ornella (middle) and 10-year-old twins Gabriel, left, and Daniel. Picture: Alison Wynd

Mr Bulinyanya said life inside the refugee camp, where he lived for about 13 years, in Bujumbura was “extremely difficult”.

“We didn’t receive much support or financial aid from the government,” he said.

“We had to find work so we could pay our rent and the children’s school fees.”

The family had no access to food relief or healthcare in Bujumbura.

Mr Bulinyanya advocated for his family and other refugees to receive aid from the UNHCR but only received a small amount of support.

Mr Bulinyanya found a secretarial job in the city, typing documents for business owners, in order to feed his family.

“My twin brother helped me get some money together so we could buy two computers to write up documents for people,” he said.

“That is how I would make money to buy food and clothes for my family.”

While life in Bujumbura was tough for Mr Bulinyanya and his family, he continually put others before himself by volunteering to help other refugees in the city.

He was a member of the refugee committee in Bujumbura for five years as well as a volunteer for the Union Africaine des ONG de Development.

“I helped to look after others from the DRC in the refugee camps,” he said.

“If they had a problem, I would go to the UNHCR on their behalf to see what support they could get.

“It helped to give me a new perspective and it was very rewarding.”

Mr Bulinyanya wanted to move his family away from the violence in Africa to start a new life.

His twin brother had moved to America and his younger sister was living Geelong.

He said the “grace of God” helped him and his family to come to Australia.

“When the UNHCR called me to say I had an interview to come to Australia (in 2019), I was so happy,” Mr Bulinyanya said.

After four years of waiting, Mr Bulinyanya, his wife and their three children were granted humanitarian visas last year.

“It took longer (to be receive our visas) because of Covid,” he said.

“While we were waiting, we were trying to live a normal life and keep earning money for our family.

“I wasn’t very stressed or worried because I’m a Christian man so I had faith in God we would be approved at the right time.”

“The day we heard our visas had been approved was one of the happiest days.

“It was something really good to happen to us.”

Mr Bulinyanya had to sell his work computers to be able to afford suitcases for him and his family.

They arrived in Australia and settled in Corio in September last year with the help of Cultura’s Humanitarian Settlement Program.

It was two days of travel from Bujumbura to Kenya, Africa, then Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, before they landed in Melbourne.

“We arrived at 1am and it was so cold when we got here,” Mr Bulinyanya said.

Parfait Bukuru Bulinyanya escaped the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now lives with his family in Corio. Picture: Alison Wynd

In 2023, Cultura supported 314 refugees settle in the Geelong community through its Humanitarian Settlement Program.

Cultura chief executive Joy Leggo said the organisation supported refugees with travel to Australia, accommodation on arrival and food vouchers.

“There are a lot of considerations at play when arriving at a new country for the first time, including cultural barriers and sensitivities,” she said.

“Each family stays under our care for their first 18 months in Australia so they have a consistent support network they can rely on.”

Cultura staff also connects refugees with English classes and assists them to set up a phone, bank account and health appointments.

Since arriving in Corio, Mr Bulinyanya said life has been “very good”.

He reunited with his younger sister and the pair see each other often.

The family is continuing to improve their English skills and the children attend the Geelong English Language Centre in Bell Park, which supports students who recently arrived in Australia.

Mr Bulinyanya is hoping to find employment soon and to continue volunteering and helping other refugees.

“My family and I feel safe in Geelong,” he said.

“We feel very happy and grateful to be in this community.”

Originally published as Corio man flees war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo in search of better life for family