Victorina

From Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Newborough

*Victorina and her family have since moved to Wyndham Vale, southwest of Melbourne

My name is Victorina.

I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a singer.

I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I grew up an orphan, raised by my aunt, separated from my seven siblings.

Life with my aunt was very good, but we had many challenges.

I met my husband, Nyange, at the church his grandfather and my aunt attended. We married when Nyange was aged 25 and I was 20 years old.

We started our family in a village in Baraka, a town in the eastern Congolese province of South Kivu. I gave birth to our first-born there, in a hospital nearby.

We were parents of two when we fled our country.

There was too much conflict, and it wasn’t safe for us to stay.

To this day, this part of our lives remains too traumatic to relive.

We were living near Lake Tanganyika when we fled. This lake separates Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and Zambia. We were closest to Burundi. So we went to the lake where some people offered to help us.

We left DRC by boat, and arrived at Burundi. I was pregnant at the time, and gave birth to our daughter there.

We left Burundi and passed through Rwanda, Uganda, and then arrived at Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. In Nairobi, they received us and took us to Kakuma, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refugee camp in Kenya’s northwest.

For a while, it was OK living in Kakuma. Nyange and I had two more children there. But there was conflict in the camp as well, and we didn’t feel safe.

UNHCR interviewed us about our situation. They agreed to send our case to any country that would be willing and ready to have us live there. They didn’t make any promises, but the Australian government accepted our application.

Nyange and I first settled in the Latrobe Valley, where we made many friends. We have since moved closer to Melbourne where our family has secured permanent accommodation. We now have six children.

I am very happy with Australia and Australians; the way they welcome us.

I feel happy to share my singing and our food and to participate in different social groups. I especially want to share my singing – I have a passion for singing; it is a huge part of my life.

I am happy here. I am feeling home. I am feeling well. I am so safe.