“Without Education You Are Going Nowhere in this World.” – MX
Justin (aka Hǖstin) W. Laku, Sr. is an educator and resident of the City of Ottawa. Like many who have been driven from their homeland by war or other conflict, Justin was a refugee three times. First, he became a refugee in Uganda, then in Egypt and finally in Canada. Justin is a founding member of the African Diaspora Association of Canada (ADAC). He is also a co-founder of Friends of Sudan. These two organizations are both community-based groups that work in Canada to support their members to settle and to integrate into their respective communities.
Currently, Justin is pursuing doctoral studies in “Federalism, Decentralization and Conflict Resolution.” He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Federalism, Decentralization, and Conflict Resolution from Fribourg University in Switzerland, a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Public Ethics with emphasis on International Development and Politics of Foreign Aid in Africa from Ottawa and Saint-Paul Universities, is a graduate of the Young African Leaders Program at the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin Germany and a graduate of the Caux Scholars Program in Switzerland. Justin also has certificates in Community Leadership, and Public Speaking from Ottawa Leadership and Christopher Leadership Course in Ottawa.
Additionally, Justin helped establish an internship program at uOttawa and provided visibility to ADAC on campuses of Ottawa, Carleton and St. Paul Universities. The aim of internship is to provide mentorship support on campus to students of African descent.
Nationally, Justin is a mentor for students of African descent at Jakubonbit Centre in the Nation’s Capital. The mentorship program is designed to help students with their academic and school assignments, research papers, and employment search. Moreover, Jakubonbit Centre offers Introduction to African History and mentorship sessions. African history is open to all.
Justin is a recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Keepers Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Medal for Humanitarianism.
Hǖstin speaks English, French, Arabic and German and reads and writes Greek and Hebrew. Hǖstin is a football referee and a member of the JB Football League in Ottawa.