Boaz’s Story
Boaz - Green Yakka Waste Audit Team Leader
Finding Work and Giving Back
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Boaz fled his home country in 2005 and spent years living in refugee camps before settling in Australia in 2016.
“For me, it was a miracle to be here in Australia,” Boaz says.
Today, Boaz and his wife are raising six children in the Illawarra. They arrived in Australia with two children and welcomed four more after settling here, with their youngest now seven months old.
For Boaz, starting a new life in Australia brought a determination to help people experiencing the kinds of hardship he had known himself.
“When I started to live here in Australia, I remembered the life I passed through,” he says. “My life was very bad, and I know some people are still like me. I remember the people in Africa. My mind was only to find a job. Then I can find money to pay for the house here, and I can find money to help people in Africa.”
Boaz found work where he could and was introduced to Green Yakka through a friend. “He told me, ‘You can go there and ask if they can give you some shifts to work,’” Boaz says.
Since then, he has worked across a range of Green Yakka projects, including as part of the team that delivered the EY waste audits in FY26. His wife, Denise Maombi, has also gained work through Green Yakka.
With paid work secured, Boaz now supports his wife and six children in Australia, and sends money to Africa to support seven children, six people living with disability, 15 older people and three young women studying at university. He returns to Africa regularly to remain connected with the people and communities he assists.
“If I have money in my pocket, I need to help because I know where I am from. When I was in the refugee camp, I said, if God helps me to get a little bit of money – not too much, because I don’t like too much money – if God gives me a little bit of money, I need to distribute it for some people.”
It’s a powerful example of the impact one person can have across their communities when they have access to meaningful work and the right support.
Boaz says that through Green Yakka, he has had opportunities to train and build skills while connecting with people from many backgrounds, including others who have experienced displacement and resettlement.
“Everyone has a different story. Green Yakka is a good place because they help so many people. They try to give everyone a job. For myself, they still give me a job, and they are helping me a lot.”
Boaz – Green Yakka
