For Manga Erasto Mfaume, leaving home was the beginning of a long journey ahead.
Mfaume and his family fled the Democratic Republic of Congo more than two decades ago in search of freedom and a safe place to call home. After spending 20 years in a refugee camp in Tanzania, where even basic necessities like food and medicine were limited, they were finally on their way to the United States.
On April 20, 2018, a date he remembers vividly, Mfaume resettled in Tucson with his wife and their five children. âWe all like this place,â he said. âThis is a peaceful country.â
There are nearly 26 million refugees globally, and refugees like Mfaume and his family make up less than 1% who are resettled each year, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports.