2019 Refugee of the Year: Fikiri Nkulwe
Fikiri is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he was resettled by Exodus in October 2016 with this three children. From his first moments in Indianapolis, he was thinking of how to help and serve others. A widower raising 3 children on his own, he worked the night shift on the weekends so he could be actively involved in his children’s lives. As soon as he got his driver’s license, he was driving fellow refugees to their appointments or helping with language interpretation. After finding a church home at New Beginning Assembly of God, his pastor offered to give Fikiri and his family some household items. He took only what he needed and told his pastor: “These things will be better if we can share with other refugees.” He soon began collecting even more items to distribute in the refugee community. When he noticed that there wasn’t a church in Indianapolis that offered services in the Swahili language, he worked with his own church to create one.
Today, Fikiri is one of the pastors at New Beginning Assembly of God and he is leading an Exodus Welcome Team who just welcomed a family of 10 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A lot of his fellow refugees look up to him and consider him as their brother. He recently got married and his family has grown too. Fikiri is an amazing leader and advocate for the refugee community in Indianapolis. We are proud to honor him as Exodus’ Refugee of the Year. You can read more of his story here.
Pictured above: Pastor Fikiri with Pastor Brian and members from New Beginning Assembly of God at the Indianapolis airport to welcome a refugee family.
