Alex Bahati Okuonzi was born in Nyankunde, D.R. Congo in 1988. After he finished his high school education he wanted to study technology. In 2007, he went to Kenya where he spent four months learning English (he also speaks French, Swahili, and Lingala), so he could study IT at a university there.
The cost of attending the school was very expensive for Alex and his family, and it appeared that he would not be able to complete his program. Through one of the MAF wives, the man in charge of MAF’s IT programs in Africa learned of Alex’s predicament and contacted him with a proposition: MAF would pay for his second year of schooling if he would agree to work for MAF’s East DRC program when he graduated.
For the last year and a half Alex has been working for MAF in Bunia as an IT Technician. His day to day tasks include troubleshooting network and computer problems, keeping our partners connected to our network, doing system maintenance, and installing anti-virus software. He has assisted with the installation of four VSAT satellite Internet systems in eastern DRC, and recently performed his first solo installation. He is a great asset to MAF’s ministry in Congo, and has a passion for the work we are doing.
“We are glad to serve, and we are glad to bring tools like VSAT Internet that give people access to the outside world,” he recently told me. “Being part of MAF technology…I wake up every morning and say, ‘No matter how hard it is, I’m going to do it!’”
One of the ways MAF seeks to minister is through training and development of the nationals where we serve. It’s clear to me that Alex is one of the success stories! I look forward to working with him once again in a few months, and teaching him what I know about IT. I also look forward to what he will teach me . . . about the culture, languages, and serving God in Congo.
