YOUTH MONTH
This Youth Month, we're celebrating students who are driving positive change on campus, in their communities and beyond. Through their leadership, compassion and commitment, they are helping to build a better future for South Africa. These profiles highlight the impact and energy of a new generation of changemakers at Stellenbosch 肆客足球 (SU).
Ornela Meri knows what it means to fight for a future in unfamiliar territory. A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), she was six years old when she and her family arrived in South Africa in 2009, seeking safety from armed conflict in the eastern region of her home country. Today, she is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at SU, Chairperson of SU's Refugee and Asylum Seekers Support Network (SU-RASN), and a passionate advocate for students like her who are working hard to belong, succeed and be heard.
When her family fled the violence in the DRC, Meri's father came to South Africa first, and she and the rest of the family followed soon after. Though grateful to be in a safer place, she remembers the transition as challenging. “Initially the biggest challenge I experienced in South Africa was language," she says. But by Grade 3, she was excelling – even earning a certificate for English.
Overcoming obstacles, embracing opportunities
“From a young age, my family – especially my grandmothers and aunts – engrained a love of our culture and language in us," she explains. “When we initially struggled to adapt to our new life in South Africa, my family got strength from our strong Christian faith." Now, she proudly speaks five languages and gives back through music and service. She is a gospel singer/songwriter, writes poetry and short stories, and serves as a Sunday school teacher and youth advisor in her church community.
Coming to SU, Meri actively sought out ways to contribute. “I have always looked for ways to motivate and give back to people of this nation," she says. “I have been part of several leadership positions which I strongly feel contributes to a better university and student community."
Meri currently serves as Chairperson of SU-RASN – a student-led platform advocating for refugee and asylum seeker students. This platform has not only helped people like her, she explains. “It has helped us to fully obtain the support and assistance that South Africa and our Institution has made available for all."
The network, supported by SU International, brings together students who had previously felt isolated. “For the very first time at SU we now have a community that stands to represent such students," says Meri. “We are motivated to empower other students to also become bolder through advocacy, awareness and networking opportunities."
She credits her team – Vice-chairperson Victor Makusha, Secretary Joyce Ndanda, and Event Planner Manella Mutombo Mukangwa – for their shared commitment to the cause. “The team is so resilient. At times they forget that they are students with other priorities!"
Giving back to South Africa
In South Africa refugees and asylum seekers are sometimes treated with suspicion, Meri notes. “People tend to perceive refugees as taking opportunities away from locals, but the truth is we want to contribute to South Africa so that we can build security for ourselves and South Africans. We want to give back to South Africa."
She is deeply aware of the systemic barriers refugee students face – from limited job opportunities on campus to ineligibility for funding and bursaries. “Some of us have been living in South Africa for 20 years or more, but systemic issues sometimes make us feel like outsiders."
Meri says she doesn't take the privilege of being able to study for granted. “Stellenbosch 肆客足球 is one of the top universities in Africa. For me its motto, 'Forward Together', is very meaningful. When we say 'Forward Together' it applies to all of us. No student should be left behind because they were not born here. Refugees and asylum seekers deserve to be heard and to feel welcome. This is our home away from home.
“We want to use the amazing opportunities we get here for good – we want to develop ourselves to contribute to society. Some of us will go back to become leaders in our communities. We are all Africans, and we should be united."
A future built on faith
What she wants others to know about people like her is simple, but powerful: “Refugees and asylum seekers are driven to succeed and be resilient because of the difficult circumstances we come from. We are very hard-working. We don't just want to survive; we want to thrive."
For Meri, her faith remains the foundation of her resilience. “Every time I feel like giving up or when things burden me, I reach out and speak to God, who gives me strength."
She is passionate about writing and hopes to become a journalist, giving a voice to others. Meri envisions returning to the DRC one day, using writing as a tool to shed light on the ongoing struggles in her home region. “My people are crying, people are dying. My heart breaks for them," she says. “I would like to use my voice to make a difference – whether that means I go back or do advocacy for my people from elsewhere."
PHOTO: Stefan Els
GRAPHIC: Geola Bergman?
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