Blaise was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a nation with a history of decades of conflict over territorial and resource control as well as ethnically motivated violence. 

As a young child Blaise lived with his eight brothers and parents in a southern province of the country. At nine years old he and his siblings were tragically orphaned when his parents died in a car crash. The nine brothers were taken in by various relatives; Blaise went to live with his aunt apart from his other siblings. The loss of his parents coincided with an increase in civil conflict when a liberation war broke out. This national insecurity brought about an increase in militia groups and gangs.

As a child, Blaise was faced with an option: become a perpetrator or become a victim. He could not bear being both an orphan and gang-violence victim and made a devastating choice.

Over time, Blaise could not continue living as a perpetrator - he could not let this be his future, he wanted a new story. Knowing the dangers for Blaise and his aunt if he left the gang, teenage Blaise daringly took his aunt and fled the region.

This risky choice brought new life for Blaise and while they were poor, Blaise’s aunt worked hard to help him receive an education. He returned to school, completed highschool, and received a sponsorship from sponsors in Germany to attend university. Education opened doors for him to change the course of his life and at school he found a sense of belonging, a sense of family. Blaise obtained a degree in General Agronomy, which involves science and technology used to cultivate plants for human benefit.

Post university, Blaise worked in a bank and then later was offered a position as a community development consultant with a German corporation. Today, he lives in Goma with his wife and four children. He works as center manager alongside Nuru Connect Society in Goma, a group seeking to bring electricity to 5 million people across DRC through solar-powered grids. In partnership with the World Bank, they have started working on building a voltaic hydroelectric center in town to solve the electric shortages and instability in the city. He also works part time as a researcher and university assistant professor. 

Blaise’s dream is to be an agent of holistic transformation in his country. 

He is excited to attend ALI as it is his first ever opportunity to receive leadership training. He looks forward to learning about Christ-like leadership and knows ALI will help him bring lasting change, provide guidance where needed and demonstrate good leadership skills to his students, staff, and community. 

By investing in Blaise’s leadership journey, you empower him with life-changing training and impact his entire community.