After facing difficult circumstances upon arrival in Nairobi, Juvenal can now proudly care for himself. When he arrived in Kenya from his native country of Burundi in 2015, Juvenal was ailing from complications in his spine, which limited his mobility and made him unable to stay on his feet for any period of time. He was unable to care for himself and relied on the goodwill of fellow refugees and others in his vicinity.
“Before I got to RefugePoint, life was hard. I hadn’t gotten help to know where to get treatment. I didn’t have much hope,” Juvenal recently told us.
RefugePoint stepped in and helped Juvenal access the treatment he needed. Once we were confident the treatment was going well, we supported Juvenal with training on how to run a business and granted him some funds to start a business selling women’s shoes.
“When they helped me, I was able to sort out my needs.” He later began selling women’s clothes and popular items like athletic wear in addition to shoes.
Juvenal said, “I was happy when they came to help me, and I saw that truly, there are organizations out there who care about us who are differently-abled. RefugePoint assessed me and gave me help. They show you that you can try your best to pull yourself up from where you are.”
Juvenal got a resettlement opportunity in April 2021 to France. The business’s profits helped him get ready to travel as he could buy luggage and some cold weather clothes quickly. Instead of folding the business, Juvenal elected to hand it over to a friend and fellow refugee, Bonith, who struggled to provide for his family. Bonith hosted Juvenal when he arrived in Nairobi in 2015. Juvenal even gave Bonith startup capital to help him get on his feet quickly. The spirit of helping others is strong within the refugee community.
Juvenal looks forward to getting back to school now that he has resettled in France. As we discussed what he wanted to do when he got to France, Juvenal said, “I want to study social work and humanitarian work because I have a passion for helping people.”