Floribert Mubalama

After fleeing violence in his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in June 2006, Floribert Mubalama settled in a refugee camp in Malawi. At times he struggled to stay positive, but the kindness of the host community and organizations that shared food and shelter, regardless of their cultural background or nationality, gave him hope for the future.

When he moved to Washington State, King County, 8 years later, Floribert realized that his fellow Congolese refugees and immigrants had not established a sense of belonging in their new country. They lived isolated, underserved and underrepresented.

As a professional social and humanitarian consultant, Floribert found it useful to combine his experience gained in the refugee camp. He was trained as a community facilitator and was able to bridge the communication gap between refugees, the government and UNHCR's implementing partners. This is how he began to feel the person best equipped to help Congolese refugees and immigrants thrive in Washington State and King County. Floribert looks forward to having the opportunity, through the broader mission of World Affairs Council Fellows, to learn and build a network of diverse leaders who will help him channel development capacities within the United Diaspora to compatriots and women of the Democratic Republic of the Congolese.