February 11th, 2021 comments
Ugandan-born founder of the African Centre for Refugees in Ontario and member of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants’ advisory committee LGBTQ2S+ activist Christopher Nkambwe of Toronto has won the LGBTQ2S+ January Marie Lapuz Youth Leadership Award top prize for 2020.
Thirty-year-old Nkambwe, a Black transgender woman originally from Uganda, impressed the awards jury to win the $1,000 award. Nkambwe sought asylum in Canada in 2019 and has founded the African Centre for Refugees in Ontario, which supports vulnerable LGBTQ+ refugees from the African continent.
“I am an activist and human rights defender who came from Uganda to Canada to attend the Women Deliver conference in June 2019. I was not able to return home because of fear for persecution due to my sexuality and gender identity and I started my journey as a refugee in Toronto,” says Nkambwe. “I have been able to fund my organization, African C