Congolese refugee returns home to rebuild his community with IT skills gained in South Africa

Twenty years ago, when Eric fled his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), he never imagined that he would one day voluntarily return as a skilled IT professional and a father, eager to rebuild his life and contribute to his community.

When forced to flee, Eric refused to let circumstances define him. While in South Africa, he acquired IT skills and developed an app to address community needs. Now, he plans to start a business in the DRC that will offer essential services such as street cleaning and waste management, as well as creating new job opportunities.

“This app is my breakthrough,” Eric says. “It is a big project. It will offer all essential services. It is not finished yet, but I plan to complete it in the DRC and turn it into a success.” He also plans to start an agricultural and poultry business selling chicken and eggs to meet local demand.

Eric’s passion for technology began in Kinshasa, where he worked at an internet café. In South Africa, he taught himself to code and earned a certificate in PC hardware and cellphone repairs through the Latter-Day Saints Charities, one of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s global partners. Today he is pursuing another degree to further develop his skills and give back to his community in his home country.

A journey of hope and perseverance

Eric fled the DRC in 2005, at the age of 24, after he lost his father and brother in political unrest. His mother urged him to leave the country for his safety. Alone and uncertain, Eric crossed Zambia and Zimbabwe, surviving on the kindness of strangers who offered food, shelter, transport and hope. Arriving in South Africa with nothing, Eric started working as a guard at a parking lot and later as a hotel porter, doing whatever he could to support himself.

One day, he was asked to fill in as a receptionist, a chance that opened a new chapter in his life. Soon, he was assisting with computer issues at the hotel, proving his skills. "There, I was able to demonstrate my skills and passion for IT," he explains.

Later, Eric married Joceline, also a refugee from Kinshasa, and together they now have three children. To get a head start, the family benefited from UNHCR’s cash assistance programme in 2016, implemented in collaboration with Refugee Social Services, which helped provide food, rent, counselling and small business start-up support.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything changed. Eric lost his job and faced a daily struggle to support his family, even suffering a violent attack in Durban that left him injured. "It was tough; we did not have food to feed the children," Eric recalls.

Despite his own difficult situation, Eric was determined to help others. He joined Church World Service (CWS) – a UNHCR partner at the time – as an administrator, supporting refugee initiatives and offering hope to people facing the same struggles he once endured. He remained in this role until the organization closed in 2024, while his wife continued to receive social assistance such as counselling through the Refugee Social Services. Today, they no longer receive financial support due to global budget constraints that have heavily impacted UNHCR, but they are able to sustain themselves through their own livelihoods.

Returning to their roots

For decades, violence in the DRC has forced millions of people to flee their homes. Although the situation remains fragile in certain provinces – particularly Eastern DRC – stability in the majority of the country offers hope for refugees ready to return to the families and communities they left behind years ago.

“UNHCR and its partners in South Africa work to support them throughout this voluntary return process,” explains Haaris Changez Khan, Durable Solutions Officer for the South Africa Multi-Country Office (MCO). “We help them to rebuild their lives and restore their communities.”

Eric contacted UNHCR’s free hotline dedicated to voluntary repatriation in 2025 and expressed his desire to return home. “Eric and his family are now among the 230 refugees and asylum-seekers who have voluntarily returned from South Africa since the beginning of the year, with more to follow,” adds Haaris.

Eric was overjoyed at the prospect of reuniting with his family and starting afresh. His dream of returning home and contributing his IT skills was finally coming true.

Eric loves his life in South Africa and is grateful for the opportunities he was offered here, but is happy he can finally go back home. "My mother is elderly, and I want my children to grow up knowing their home and their roots." Joceline is equally excited: "I feel happy to start a new life at home," she says, "I will open a beauty salon and a learning center to give back skills to my community. I cannot wait to see my parents after so many years away."

Voluntary return: A right and a choice

Despite funding constraints, UNHCR still provides returnees with assistance packages, including transport, cash support and counselling, to help them restart their lives.

"Voluntary repatriation is a powerful expression of dignity and hope.It is an affirmation that no matter how long someone has been forcibly displaced or how many hardships they have endured, the desire to return home and rebuild their life remains undimmed,” says Kavita Belani, Representative for the South Africa MCO.

“Eric’s journey exemplifies this spirit; after years of struggle and exile, his decision to voluntarily return to the DRC is a testament to the resilience of the human heart. It reminds us that, even in the face of overwhelming adversity, the yearning for peace, stability and a new beginning can inspire the courage to take that final step back home," Kavita adds.

Eric and Joceline are hopeful and determined, planning to build businesses, innovate and give back to their community. "It feels like a dream. I cannot wait to see my family, especially my mother," Eric says, as he heads to the boarding gates.