20 Who Count: Jean Paul Mundungu

By Kendra Simpson

Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean Paul Mundungu experienced first hand the privilege of clean water, which is why he’s dedicated so much time, effort and money to helping others across the world.

In 2011, after being drafted into the Diversity Visa Lottery, Mundungu moved to St. Joseph with his wife and three children.

He taught himself English by watching popular television series like “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards” as well as registering at the Webster Learning Center.

He then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Information Systems at the American Business and Technology University and his masters in cybersecurity at the University of Colorado. Mundungu was determined to use his newfound knowledge to help provide clean water to a parish in Africa with the help of his church, St. Francis Xavier Church.

“I’m trying to foster some kind of bridge between St. Joseph and some communities in Africa,” he said. “I grew up in a very poor place, and that parish, Saint Marcel in Congo, is in an area which is very similar to where I grew up.”

He and the church partnered together to improve the small clinic in the area, restore the church’s structure and create solar water pumps for the community’s water supply. Their efforts proved successful with about 20,000 liters of clean water going to the community every day.

Mundungu will continue his work in Africa when he visits in January. Meanwhile, the work at home continues with his immigrant welcoming efforts. He hopes to build an outreach program for immigrants in St. Joseph to help with job placement, communication barriers, resources and community outreach.

“When I first moved here, we had some challenges,” he said. “I realized something, that even if you have a little bit, you don’t need a lot, you just need a little bit of help in some specific areas to be able to do amazing things.”