Michel Chikwanine was born in the Democratic of Congo. He has experienced the civil war, and poverty. He was forced to leave his home country at the age of 11 as a refugee. Chikwanine has traveled to 35 African countries, witnessing the problems faced by the developing world . Much of his childhood was consisted of death and decay of a war that took the lives of 5.8 million people, including his father.