Andre Ramphate

1. Andre Ramphate is a young man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo currently living in Cape Town, South Africa. Born and raised in the DRC, Andre and his family lived in Kinshasa until earlier this year, when they suffered immense tragedy at the hands of the corrupt government of Joseph Kabila. Andre was forced to flee the country and, after a difficult period of travel, sought asylum in Cape Town.

Andre’s father Donatien was a general in Kabila’s army. In January of this year, he was given instruction to arrest youth participating in anti-government protests. Conflicted, and with persuasion from his wife, Andre’s mother, Donatien refused to comply with the order. Late January brought youth marches in Kinshasa, which Andre and his siblings also participated in, advocating for a free and democratic election. Worried about danger, Andre’s father prepared his family to flee the country but was too late. On February eighth, Andre answered a knock on his front door and was swiftly knocked out. He awoke to his Father murdered and his Mother and Brother raped, and only narrowly escaped his home. He was helped out of town and eventually to South Africa by strangers

.Since arriving on February 19, Andre has managed to survive in Cape Town without any access to resources or the necessary documentation to apply for legal asylum. This past month he was evicted from the home at which he had been staying and now has no roof over his head and little agency to improve his living conditions.

After the eviction, and recent death of his brother back in the DRC, Andre has formed a plan to begin moving his life forward. First, he needs to get a bus back to the DRC. From Cape Town, and without the necessary documentation to cross national borders, this is a complicated process. He plans to ride to Johannesburg, where an affiliate will help him onto a bus that will get him back to the DRC. The bus journey costs $1300 and return. Once there, Andre plans to obtain a copy of his birth certificate and apply for both a Congolese passport and a South African study visa. The passport costs $350, and the visa $1200/ year. These documents are necessary for Andre to have legal status in South Africa. Finally, with documentation this time, Andre plans to return to Cape Town to study at the Academy of Sound Engineering which will be costing him $2400/ year

We are looking for donations to provide Andre with the monetary means to complete the arduous journey ahead of him and reach safety and self - sufficiency in Cape Town.Andre is courageous, full-hearted, smart, and vivacious. He has incredible aspirations against disheartening odds. He is a passionate musician, singer, and songwriter, with dreams of one day becoming an opera singer. Please help him overcome these hardships along his path so he can begin to live legally, safely, and happily in South Africa.