The frantic WhatsApp messages start pouring in one night, ‘help me my father found out I’m gay’.

‘I’m worried he’s going to kill me,’ one reads. ‘He says he doesn’t want me in the house, he thinks I’m a demon for choosing to be gay,’ writes Nathaniel in the messages.

Nathaniel, 25, lives in Bukavu a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a country in central Africa. Until recently he lived with his family who began to bully and threaten him. Nathaniel’s father says he brings a curse to the family because he is gay. His mother remains silent.

The obvious solution might be to pack a bag and find somewhere else to live. But it’s not so simple for Nathaniel. Firstly, he doesn’t have any money.

He did in fact, pack a suitcase when the abuse started and stood in the busy streets of Bukavu desperate for refuge. Read more via Gay Star News