In the Rusayo IDP camp, located at the foot of the Nyiragongo volcano in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lives Salomé (alias), 37 years old, a mother of 11 children and a survivor of sexual violence by an unidentified armed group, while fleeing hostilities in Masisi territory.
“I don’t even remember the exact day I arrived here. I fled the war, and what was important was to stay alive with my fatherless children. Unfortunately, 8 of them had been missing,” says Salomé.
Her history is marked by the pain of rape, of the loss of children, of dignity and, ultimately, of hope restored through UNFPA interventions in favour of displaced women and especially survivors of gender-based violence in eastern DRC.
Salomé was captured by a group of armed men in May 2024.
“They went after my children and made me their wife for more than a week and I bore the pain. I have found only 7 of my children, and I still do not know whether the others are still alive or not. Nobody knows where they are, and I have no news of them”.
The strength to survive through reproductive health services and psycho-social support
Salomé had to face new challenges in the Rusayo camp: feeding her children in extremely difficult conditions. One day, while cutting timber into the forest, she suffered another sexual assault. This incident took place in Virunga Park. She has a lot of difficulty remembering it.
“I don’t know if it is a case of bad luck in my life. I said I would never return to this forest again, even if my children were to suffer from hunger.”
But the support provided by UNFPA, with funding from the EU’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), marked a turning point in Salomé’s life. At a time when she was most in need of assistance, she received care at the Rusayo mobile clinic run by the NGO RADPI (Réseau d’Action pour le Développement et Progrès Intégrés -- Action Network for Development and Integrated Progress). Salomé also recalled the midwives’ councils on reproductive health.
“They talked to me about contraception options so that I do not get pregnant in the camp. I chose a 3 years method, and this gave me the courage to resume my woodcutting activities without fear of becoming pregnant in case of rape.”
A renewed future through the UNFPA – ECHO partnership
UNFPA’s support did not stop there. Salomé was directed to a safe space in Rusayo, established by ActionAid, where she met Gisèle, a psycho-social assistant who helped her overcome her trauma.
“We helped her with advice and Salomé is doing better today”, says Gisèle Nyamuto, the psycho-social assistant and mentor of women in the safe space.
