This episode Manchán talks to Aruna from the Democratic Republic of Congo. ‘I was born in the east of Congo, in a war zone. I grew up in Goma in my mother's family. You’ve got the big mountain in the centre called Mont Goma. On the far side you have the volcano, Virunga. Ngorgongo is the oldest one. Sometimes you see them burning and you have earthquakes.’ Life was hard growing up as his father wasn’t present and his mother’s family were poor. His uncle who was paying his school fees died in the fighting, then his mother died soon after.

He describes having to escape amidst scenes of chaos during the protests to overthrow the dictator, President Mobutu, in 1997. ‘We had to flee. We didn’t know where we were going. Everybody has a small bag and was just going. There was gun-shot &, heavy guns.  My brother got shot and so I went back to the house.’ He eventually went to the capital Kinshasa and then to South Africa seeking work. Life was tough, but he now has been granted refuge status and is living here with his wife and 3 children.

Home Stories was funded by Creative Ireland alongside the county councils of Laois and Westmeath.