Lucio Kikuni and his journey to social change
It goes without saying that 2015 was a difficult year. No matter how you look at it, it was marred by tragedy and for many, it was a hard to fathom reality of our supposedly progressive world. However, whether we like it or not we have to come to terms with the realities of our world; despite our institutions and commitments to peace, equality and human rights, atrocities still happen and we are still shaping a future we thought we had already achieved. Understandably this is very hard to come to terms with. Learning about and acknowledging the global wide problems that constantly compete for out attention is mentally and emotionally draining and can leave you feeling hopeless and helpless to make a difference. But you don’t have to be. Sometimes all it takes is identifying a problem and channeling the negativity it brings into a positive and productive solution.
Recently, I had the extreme pleasure of connecting with a young man named Lucio Kikuni Kangela, a Congolese student that saw his life and goals take a completely different road than he had expected. Passionate Living and studying in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he had always planned to dedicate his life to helping vulnerable children living in the aftermath of the Second Congo War. Sharing in their experience as a child refugee himself, he has not wavered from his commitment, but his means of pursuing this goal changed. Initially planning to become a priest and dedicate his service to children, he quickly became acquainted with like-minded peers with a shared personal history and enrolled in a Social Work and Social Psychology in Hope Africa University in Burundi. A year later, in 2011, he and his friends founded the NGO “Hope and Health Vision” to apply their knowledge and begin working with displaced and abandoned street children in Burundi and Congo.
Identifying the problems facing abandoned children was the first step. It became evident that these children were faced with extreme poverty and lack of education, becoming orphaned due to the war as well as diseases such as HIV/AIDS and they are the abandoned products of rape or prostitution. From there they began developing a holistic approach to combat these issues, focusing on and beyond the children themselves to not only lift them out of the cycle of poverty but to provide them with stability as well. This began in the form of counseling, art and group therapy, psychosocial and familial integration which worked to Lucio’s work focused on helping to elevate these children from poverty, provide stability and help them regain access to education.
Connecting with professionals and local leaders, Lucio and his co-founders were able to set up a solid network of support to begin their work. Despite the rapid shift in his plans and coming across many financial and academic obstacles, Lucio and his co-founders persevere, determined to maintain and grow their grassroots initiative and improve social conditions for children in the aftermath of the war. At 27, Lucio has done more than many of us expect to do and continues to work to combat children’s rights violations and improve their access to education to health care.
Lucio’s work is not an exception to the norm, it is much more common than one would expect. All over the globe, young people dedicate themselves to causes they identify with and find ways to become involved. These grassroots initiatives are essential to national, social development and require expert professional and financial support. The aid they provide to their own communities is fundamental and should be the primary force for change. In our efforts to be socially conscious and socially involved, we should not overlook NGOs with cultural and experiential ties to the communities they are involved in. We, as a global community need to broaden our horizons and support local movements as part of our foreign aid initiatives. It is hard being aware of social injustices half way around the world and feeling helpless to create change. However, just because we cannot be directly involved, it does not mean we cannot still help. By supporting and promoting the work of people like Lucio, we help to create sustainable and independent change and empower populations.
By Mariam Jammal
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
