Fighting between government forces and rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has caused misery for countless civilians who’ve been caught up in it. Tearfund’s emergency appeal aims to help people like Sabine whose story is typical of many.
Two plates and a saucepan were all that Sabine Omari had time to take from her house before militia set fire to it.
Clutching her meagre possessions, she bolted into the bush to escape the onslaught that was descending on her village in eastern DRC. ‘There was a lot of violence,’ she recalls.
Along with her husband Tomas and their six children, Sabine, 26, used all her resilience and courage to survive living in the unforgiving bush, scavenging for wild fruits or roots and often going hungry.
‘Our priority was finding food for our family,’ recalls Sabine. ‘But there was nothing. We lived terribly.’
Looted
After four months of such desperate living the family decided to return home, banking on the departure of the militia. ‘We returned with hardly anything and found all of our things looted, so we had to sell the few items we had fled with to have any money at all,’ said Sabine.
Tearfund is working in Sabine’s village to help residents like her recover after the upheaval of conflict. Besides providing her with everyday items that were lost in the looting, such as cooking utensils, jerry cans and soap, Tearfund is investing in securing a self-sufficient future for Sabine and her family.
Tearfund has trained them in fishpond management and given them baby fish, which they’ll be able to harvest and sell in the coming months.
Sabine smiles as she says she is happy with the work that Tearfund do and with the things she has been given: ‘My life will be very different in the future,’ she says. ‘Even if Tearfund go, I now have enough to sustain me and my family for the months to come.’
Sabine prays she can use the fish farming skills that she and her husband were taught by Tearfund to teach others.
Please help us restore lives in DRC – give to our emergency appeal today.
By doing so, you’ll not only enable us to provide basic everyday household items for displaced families, but also to invest in their future by helping them restart livelihoods, giving them new skills and improving their access to water and sanitation.
Your support will enable us to provide medical care and trauma therapy to women who have been raped.
Training will also mean that members of the local church will be able to bring immediate and tangible support to their communities.