Clovis resident seeks biz guidance for 3M people he represents in Congo

An international statesman living in the Central Valley is using his local partnerships to help people in his home nation.

Doug Kulungu is an advocate and active Congressman of the Democratic Republic of Congo who has been living in the Centrally Valley for nearly 20 years.

Per the country’s constitution, Kulungu inherited the position after the 2019 death of his father, the Honorable Pascal Kulungu. He was re-elected to his own five-year term in 2023.

Kulungu has connected with members of Fresno State’s Water, Energy, and Technology (WET) Center to help tackle a myriad of challenges and support community development.

Kulungu is the founder of WellBeing Congo, a nonprofit with a mission to improve the lives of young Congolese and alleviate poverty, while also spreading the word of the Christian Gospel. He is a 2010 graduate of Fresno Pacific University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

His nonprofit supports Congolese with computer access and training, the digging of water wells, school construction and pastor training.

Kulungu, who was raised in Congo, presides over the Kasongo-Lunga district.

As a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which ranks among the five poorest nations, Kulungu says that he is a testament that the American Dream is still alive and is grateful for the help he’s had throughout his life.

“Everything I am is because somebody decided to make a sacrifice for my benefit,” Kulungu said. “By going to school and building up a network from everybody all over America with different skills, they can help make the Congo a better place.”

Sponsors of hope

In 2005, Kulungu was sponsored by Fresno doctor Eric Hanson and his wife Darlene to come to the U.S. to study.

Kulungu’s relationship with the Hansons actually begins with his father, who would travel from his village to another to attend school.

When his father was about 8 years old, he encountered a missionary that gave him the opportunity to go to school, eventually becoming a teacher, a school principal and then leading a hospital in Congo.

When he came to the Central Valley to study at FPU in the 1990s, he met the Hansons, who quickly became friends with Kulungu, Sr.

Eric Hanson severs as president of the Hanson Family Foundation, a private foundation in Fresno that supports vulnerable children through advocacy, education, recruitment and support.

Kulungu didn’t know English when he first arrived in the Central Valley, but the Hansons’ belief and investment in him led to opportunities he took advantage of.

Seeds of the future

Today, Kulungu is serving a district with a population of 3 million people.

“We want to give them clean water, we are building schools, providing scholarships. We want to create a new environment for young people,” Kulungu said.

There is also a need for entrepreneurial guidance for the Congolese, Kulungu said, and he wants to teach people to “dream big” and “think outside of the box.”

Kulungu is collaborating with Glen Schrader, an entrepreneur and researcher involved with various projects, many of which revolve around using sustainable technologies in innovative ways that benefit communities.

As an entrepreneur, Schrader will help people of the Congo become more business minded. Kulungu said he has invited Schrader to go to the Congo in the fall to pass his entrepreneurial wisdom to people there, starting with teaching them to raise and sell chickens.

Schrader is also assisting with the use of artificial intelligence for water management and growing crops.

There are a number of crops grown in Congo, with corn being a staple. Kulungu said that with help from people in the Central Valley, such as Schrader, Congolese growers can see more successful harvests.

While Congo is rich with minerals including cobalt, coltan, diamond, copper and zinc, Kulungu said the Kosongo-Lunga district is the largest district with no minerals.

Kulungu lives in Clovis with his wife, Patience, and his two sons, Jason and Eric. He will return to the Congo for the legislative session in October. They convene twice a year.

He said his story is that of an immigrant who came to America and found success through his hard work, and his faith in the Lord.

“I am grateful for everything that God and this country has done for me. I owe it to people who came before me and laid the foundation so we can benefit. The American Dream is still alive,” Kulungu said.