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Rebecca Ngombwa
Rebecca Ngombwa
Birth: 1 January 1907?
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Death: fl.5 September 2018
Buffalo, New York, USA
Age: 111 years, 274+ days?
Country: Democratic Republic of the CongoCODUnited StatesUSA
Unvalidated

Rebecca Ngombwa (1 January 1907? – fl.5 September 2018) was a DR Congolese-American supercentenarian claim whose age is currently unvalidated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

Biography[]

Ngombwa claimed to be born on 1 January 1907 in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo Free State at that time). She was the second of four children. As she was not born in a hospital, she never had a birth certificate. In her native Minembwe village, Ngombwa and other villagers had to walk two miles to a river to get water. According to her, her family left DR Congo in 1990s because they had to flee the war. They moved to refugee camp in Burundi. According to her, conditions were very bad: There was not enough food — we could go one or two days without food. The water was not good. And we didn't have many clothes. We would wear the clothes one month without changing.

Ngombwa gave birth to eight children (four boys and four girls); including Nagazyra (born 1951), Inusi Kimararungu (1954/1955–2018) and Zera Nagazyra. Her son, Inusi, passed away in Iowa one day before his mother arrived in the United States.

In July 2018, she moved to Buffalo, New York, United States as a refugee after 20 years in a United Nations-sponsored refugee camp in Burundi. She arrived with her daughter Zera Nagazyra, son-in-law Gabriel Bwanangoyi and 16-year-old great-grandson Mercure Rugazura. In September 2018, she said that she doesn't know the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren she has, but says she has 453 descendants across four generations. Rebecca Ngombwa was last reported to be alive on 5 September 2018 at the claimed age of 111 years, 274 days.

References[]

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