Lugano Luc, 43, and his wife Helena Baluani, 36, once lived peacefully in Baraka, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, where they worked hard to build a future for their family.

Married in 2016, Lugano and Helena built a joyful family of five children. Together, they cultivated their land, growing crops that fed their family and paid for their children’s education. Their days were filled with purpose until the chilling word “Usalama Mdogo” (insecurity) spread through their community.

One night, that fear became reality.
“We heard the announcement… fear suffocated us,” Lugano recalls. “I told my wife we had to flee. She agreed.”

With hearts pounding and danger closing in, they left everything behind, their home, fields, and memories, and began the long journey to safety.
At dawn, they crossed the Gatumba border into Burundi, where they were registered as refugees. Their path led them through the Gihanga and Cishemere transit centers before finding temporary refuge in Musenyi, Burunga Province.

Today, one year later, Lugano and Helena’s family live in peace, supported by UNHCR, ONAPRA, AIRD, and other humanitarian partners. Although the pain of displacement remains, their resilience shines through.

“Here, a year has passed,” says Lugano, “but the beginning of the path of flight no longer feels like the end.”

Now, their dream is simple yet profound — to rebuild their lives as modern commercial farmers, to return to the rhythm of the land, and to give their children the stable future they once had.