Elocho Family Fund

Fabien Elocho was resettled to Nashville, Tennessee two months ago with his wife and four children from a refugee camp in Malawi to be reunited with his brother-in-law after years of separation. On Thursday, April 18, Fabien was tragically killed in a car crash on his way back home after an overnight shift of work with his niece and coworker.  We are devastated as we come together as a community to help his pregnant widow, Celine, and their four children to pay for his funeral costs. 

For background, the Elocho family arrived in Nashville through the U.S. refugee resettlement program on February 19, 2019.  We all remember Fabien and Celine’s joy and jubilation when they saw their family again after a decade of separation when fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fabien was a humble and gregarious man whose pride were his children. He recently found out Celine was pregnant and said, “this is our first American baby!”

As the family mourns, we remember Fabien’s excitement to have started a new life here in the U.S. and joining a promising job with his niece Esther—which they began three days before the accident. In the near future, they planned to work on different shifts in order to help Celine at home with the children. Esther will have to take an extended leave while facing a long recovery from her injuries, and Celine will need long-term support as she adjusts to this new life. 

We all know funerals are costly—Fabien’s funeral will cost $8,000. His  employer has generously offered to pay $3,000.

Funeral plans are still being arranged, and any updates regarding locations and times will be posted here. All donations will be tax deductible, as his resettlement agency Nashville International Center for Empowerment will make arrangements with the contributions.