Congolese Association keen to welcome Mbokani to Norwich
Dieumerci Mbokani scored on his first Premier League start for Norwich City at Newcastle United. Picture by Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
Dieumerci Mbokani may have settled into life on the pitch for Norwich City, but a community group has stepped forward and offered to help him settle into life off of it.
The Norfolk Congolese Association (NOCA), a group dedicated to helping people from the DR Congo build new lives for themselves in Norfolk, is keen to reach out to the new Canaries striker, as well as fellow countryman Youssouf Mulumbu, who also joined the club in the summer.
Elvis Beya, founder of NOCA said: 'It's a big victory for the Congolese people to have two of our players representing Norwich City.
'NOCA as a community is more than happy to welcome them. We feel we could help them engage with the Congolese community.
'For Dieumerci, it is an exciting opportunity to live in a new country. My advice to him would be to engage with both the Congolese community and the local community, which would help settle and improve his English.'
Mr Beya, 26, founded NOCA in 2013, having felt that there was a need for an organisation to cater for the growing Congolese communities in Norfolk. He moved to Norwich at the age of 17, through the Gateway Protection Programme.
He added: 'Our aim is to provide cultural information and advice to Congolese people moving to Norfol; we do this in many different ways.
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'For example, we hold drop-in sessions where people can come to us to seek advice and understand how things work in the United Kingdom. We also hold events in which we can work together with other communities.'
As for Norwich City's new Congolese contingent, Mr Beya is keen for the pair to get in touch.
He said: 'We would love them to become ambassadors for our organisation. They provide inspiration for Congolese people across Norfolk.'
Do you have a community story? Contact David Hannant on 01603 693892.
