Refugee leader recounts escape from Democratic Republic of the Congo, volunteering with UNHCR and resettlement in Ohio

Lehi, a refugee leader who volunteers with the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told meeting attendees that armed-group pressure and tribal violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo forced him to flee and seek safety.

"They told me that if I don't want to join, that means I'm supposed to be killed," Lehi said, describing pressure to join an armed group when a boy turns 18 and his father's refusal to assent.

Lehi said he took a long bus journey to a refugee camp and found shelter with relatives. "I arrived in, Tongari Refugee Camp. I meet my sister there who, had a family, and my sister told me you'll be sleeping in a a shop. Just looking at the place, it really made me cry to say, like, where am I?" he said.

Lehi described moving from despair to engagement: "But Lehi started engaging in the community, uplifting other refugees in the camp. As a young refugee leader, he began to volunteer with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and led programs to address gender based violence, strengthen child and youth protection, and empower refugees to take climate action." He told the meeting that in one camp he was "leading more than 5,000 young refugees."

He said that he and his family eventually qualified for resettlement in the United States and were resettled in Ohio. "And now I'm able to advocate for, the empowerment, for the protection, for the development of, young refugees. This was 1 of my dream, and now I can really see that it's coming to life," he said.

The remarks combined personal testimony about forced recruitment and displacement with descriptions of community organizing in refugee camps and volunteer work with UNHCR on gender-based violence, child and youth protection, and climate action. No specific dates, funding sources, or program names beyond UNHCR were provided during the testimony.