Ornella

Ornella is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and at 26 years-old she has been through a lot. Back in the DRC, she was scared for her safety, her health and her life and knew she had to leave as a matter of survival. 

When she made the difficult decision to leave her country, she didn’t even know she would be coming to the UK. All she knew is that she needed to get to a safe place. Ornella was being supported by another charity when she heard about us. With the support of this charity, she applied to our digital inclusion project. We were able to donate a smartphone to her, which now gives her access to the internet and WhatsApp.

When Ornella left the DRC, she couldn’t bring her family with her, and because she had no phone or computer, for a long time she couldn’t contact them. She was only 20 years old when she came to the UK and the only person she knew here was a cousin. Now that she has a smartphone, she can keep in touch with her loved ones and her community back in the DRC. They give her the encouragement and support she needs to keep going.

It has taken a while for Ornella to feel safe in the UK, but she finally does and she talks about being able to once again do the things she enjoys the most like cooking, reading and writing. She is also studying English and Math and is applying for jobs. Above all, she now has options and she can finally explore what she would like to do in life.