Refugees Supporting Refugees: Kefa, Chad

Kefa Mushagalusa Mayange has spent his entire life on the move.

His career in the humanitarian sector has taken him to countries such as Nigeria, Niger, and Chad. However, he has not always traveled out of choice.

“It’s been a difficult journey to get here,” he said.

Kefa grew up in a village in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where most people dedicated themselves to farming. “In my village, we used to eat a lot of locally produced food such as fufu, which is mashed root vegetables like cassava, with soups and beef.”

The food that Kefa ate as a child brings back fond memories. As does the music that he still loves to listen to today from his current home in N’Djamena, Chad. Rumba, his favorite genre of music, combines elements of swing, blues, and jazz in multiple languages. It represents the cultural diversity of the Democratic Republic of Congo,

“I grew up speaking Swahili and Mashi, but I also learned French later on. Through music and interacting with neighbors, I learned some Lingala and Rwandan too,” Kefa said.

Despite his happy memories, Kefa and his family became internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to clashes between armed groups in the Kabare province. They lived in different regions of the country for years, before they eventually fled to Uganda in 2007.

For Kefa, Uganda is where he learned how to overcome struggles. Although he had previously completed a university degree in rural development and project design in his home country, he found himself working in multiple jobs that had nothing to do with his studies.

Proving his skills was a challenge, and it was particularly difficult for him to do so in another language.

But eventually, someone took a chance on him.

“I got my first job in the sector in Uganda with an NGO that supported other refugees. The interview was difficult because I could barely speak English back then and replied to many questions in French,” Kefa told. The director of the NGO, however, understood that Kefa knew what he was doing, and that he had relevant experience — so they offered him a job that changed everything.

Almost 20 years later, Kefa is now working as the program director for HIAS Chad, where he uses his extensive knowledge and experience in the humanitarian sector to support refugees who are fleeing from conflict in Sudan.

His own personal experience is what motivates him every day, as this has helped him to gain a deep understanding of the difficulties refugees in Chad face.

“When you’re a refugee you’re more limited than others, and you start to realize how a change in your legal status and well-being can change your life in so many ways,” said Kefa.

“You can start a real career, you can express yourself without fear and more freely, and you can even choose where you want to live,” he said.

Now, he feels happy to wake up every morning and support other refugees that dream of a better life, as he did when he first arrived in Uganda.

“HIAS restores hope for refugees here in Chad, and our team is part of that.”