FEBRUARY 2024

NEW AMERICANS
Patrick N’golo and wife Nicha (center) pose with Helen Hicks and other supporters at the closing of their new home.
Coming to America
The Patrick N’golo story
BY SARAH KITTLE
‘
New Americans’ is a compelling
series that shines a light
on the remarkable journeys
and resilience of immigrants within
the vibrant Chaldean community.
Join us as we delve into the impactful
work of the Chaldean Community
Foundation (CCF), a beacon of hope
and support for newcomers striving to
assimilate and thrive in their adopted
homeland.
Through poignant narratives and
firsthand accounts, ‘New Americans’
showcases the Foundation’s pivotal
role in aiding individuals and families
as they navigate the challenges of
resettlement, preserve their cultural
identity, and contribute to the rich
tapestry of American society. It is an
inspiring exploration of courage, determination,
and the transformative
power of community as we witness
the stories of those forging new beginnings
in a foreign land with the invaluable
assistance of the CCF.
“The basic idea of welcoming immigrants
to our shores is central to
our way of life — it is in our DNA. We
believe our diversity, our differences,
when joined together by a common
set of ideals, makes us stronger, makes
us more creative, makes us different.
From all these different strands, we
make something new here in America.”
- President Barack Obama, July 4,
2014.
Meet Patrick N’golo. No, he isn’t
Chaldean, nor is he from Iraq. Patrick
is from the Democratic Republic of
Congo, where decades of clashes between
armed groups, widespread violations
of human rights, and devastating
incidents of gender-based violence
have displaced 6.1 million people.
Sound familiar?
Patrick’s father, an ambassador
in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), was murdered in front of him
simply for speaking out about basic
human dignity and respect. When
Patrick spoke out about his father’s
death, he, too, became a target. In
2018, Patrick was sentenced to prison
by the DRC government.
When broken out of prison by family
friends, he went into hiding, unable
to contact his wife and four sons for
months. He needed to get out, but his
passport was at the office of his former
employer. Friends once again helped
him, retrieving Patrick’s passport and
arranging transportation for him to go
to the United States and seek asylum.
Patrick found help in the form of
Freedom House, a place for legal non-
English speaking asylees, refugees and
PHOTO COURTESY OF MACOMB HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
immigrants in Chicago. “They were the
first kind hands that shook mine while
I was reeling over the assassination of
my parents and the parting from those
I loved, my beautiful wife and my four
boys,” Patrick said at a speech in November.
Freedom House was only the beginning.
Patrick next reached out to
the French United Methodist Church.
“Most of the members there are legal
asylees and refugees like me, who find
some comfort in speaking our native
language with others,” said Patrick in
that same speech.
French is Patrick’s native language,
and Nathalie Bochet, with
Macomb County’s Habitat for Humanity
(HFH), was his champion once he
came to Michigan. He was assisted
by Reverend Dr. Charles Boayue, who
serves on the advisory board at that
organization. Patrick started to learn
English and acquired employment; he
was on his way but missed his family
a great deal.
Patrick had been on the run and
hadn’t had a steady job for two years
before coming here. Although he was
working three jobs and saving all he
could, it wasn’t enough. Given a slowdown
in issuance of Green Cards and
his current low-income status, Patrick
had huge hurdles in his search
for affordable housing, ones that HFH
helped him overcome.
Working with the City of Eastpointe,
HFH found Patrick a tax-reverted
home to rent, with the intention
of someday owning it. The city’s
residents adopted Patrick, donating
household items and offering contractor
services. Beds were donated in
preparation for Patrick’s family to join
him. His new neighbors even planted a
tree in his new front yard as a symbol
of neighborly love.
Patrick was overwhelmed by this
outpouring of support, but the citizens
of America weren’t done helping
yet. On Father’s Day in 2022, the N’golo
family was reunited in Detroit. Several
donors made that possible, but the
money for the trip was mostly given by
Ray and Doreen Gierach.
So, Patrick’s family was here. Now
what?
Green cards were needed for Patrick’s
wife, Nicha, so she could work,
and for the boys, so they could attend
school. Also, many programs designed
to assist immigrants require a Social
Security Number (SSN), and Patrick
struggled for over three months to get
SSNs for his wife and sons.
“Our immigration system is broken,”
opines Nathalie Bochet, referring
to the process Patrick had to follow.
“Patrick was in our office on a
weekly basis for months.”
Enter the Chaldean Community
Foundation.
At a meeting of nonprofits, the
stars aligned for Patrick N’golo and his
family when Helen Hicks of Habitat for
Humanity met Sharon Hannawa, who
manages the Refugee Acculturation
Sustainability Training (RAST) Program
at the CCF.
“She [Sharon] told me ‘The runaround
stops here,’” said Nathalie, after
explaining Patrick’s situation.
Using contacts and relationships
that the CCF has fostered over two decades,
Sharon made a couple of calls,
to the Department of Human Services
(DHS) in Warren, and to the Department
of Justice (DOJ). Cutting through the red
tape made all the difference in Patrick’s
case, and he was finally able to get Green
Cards and SSNs for his family.
Sharon “waved her magic wand,”
said Nathalie, “and we are all so grateful.”
36 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2024