Women dossier

The women of Eastern Congo have been living a war for over 15 years. The loss of loved ones, violence and having to flee their homes have shaped their daily lives. But there is hope in the future. These women speak out in the “Women dossier”.

Your messages delivered to Eastern Congo

March 30th, 2010
Eyewitness, Women dossier
On the 24th November 2009, MSF launched the last installment of the Condition: Critical project. You heard stories from Francoise, Mishoko, Bahati and children that have been abducted during the conflict. Since then, nearly two thousand of you have left messages of support for the people of Eastern Congo on the Condition: Critical message map. The [...]

Slideshow: “We run away to escape our own fear”

July 27th, 2009
Eyewitness, Uélé dossier, Women dossier
Slideshow: “We run away to escape our own fear”
This woman had to flee her village, in the middle the night, in the heart of an attack. She ran away with her two children and her sister. At the time MSF medical teams met her, she still had no news from her husband, who ran in another direction during that night. Here is her [...]

“Nobody could take her dignity from her”

July 27th, 2009
Eyewitness, Women dossier
“Nobody could take her dignity from her”
Fiona Bass is a nurse who worked in the MSF project of Masisi, a town located in the heart of the North Kivu conflict. She tells the story of one patient who was raped by armed men in Eastern D. R. Congo. “They came for the money. One of the many luxuries a gun affords a [...]

Mother’s time in Masisi, North Kivu

May 15th, 2009
News, Women dossier
Mother’s time in Masisi, North Kivu
photos © Sarah Elliott/ Future mothers… staying at the “welcome village of Masisi hospital and consulting at Masisi hospital and health centre. They all receive prenatal care in preparation of their delivery. Mother… as a mother cradles her newborn baby in the camp for displaced people of Masisi. In this region, the war has obliged hundreds [...]

“The woman can do anything!”: listen to this song

April 16th, 2009
Eyewitness, Women dossier
“The woman can do anything!”: listen to this song
Listen to Charlotte Pasapas who sings “The woman is capable”. “The woman is capable” is the cheerful theme song for a group of volunteers in Doruma, in the Haut-Uélé region of DRC. They are a volunteer group supporting women and girls who have survived from rape and captivity by the Lord’s Resistance Army. [Audio clip: view full [...]

Cooking for pregnant friends in the hospital kitchen

April 14th, 2009
Eyewitness, Women dossier
Cooking for pregnant friends in the hospital kitchen
Every woman staying at the ‘welcome village’ for pregnant women at Masisi Hospital, which is supported by MSF, may be accompanied by another woman if they wish, whether it be a member of their family, a neighbour or a friend. Among other things, the pregnant women’s companions help with the preparation of meals; as a [...]

Life of a displaced woman

April 2nd, 2009
Eyewitness, Women dossier
Life of a displaced woman
What is life like in a camp for displaced people? Confiance Nyrabazainwa takes you to her hut in Kitchanga, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Confiance is a wife and mother, with five children. At this new ‘home’, she deals with the education of her children, cooks, finds the food and water, [...]

“I despise war”

March 30th, 2009
Eyewitness, Women dossier
“I despise war”
T. is 70 years old and has difficulty getting around. She has come to the MSF mobile clinic, which is set up twice a week in Bukombo by MSF teams who work in Masisi hospital and health centre. She has been directed to the women’s clinic, where she is being treated by [...]

“For all these years… I really feel weaker”

March 30th, 2009
Eyewitness, Women dossier
“For all these years… I really feel weaker”
G. is 43 years old. Today, she has come to the women’s clinic, part of an outreach care programme run by Médecins Sans Frontières. “During the 1994 war, people in Masisi district were killed by machetes; others managed to escape. One day, when I was on my way to the fields with some other women – [...]

The penalties of rape

March 28th, 2009
News, Women dossier
The penalties of rape
Rejected by their husbands or chased away by their families, this is what often happens to women victims of rape in the Kivus. Often, these women will not perceive themselves as victims, but believe they are guilty. As for the rapists, they do not encounter much risk. Impunity reigns and justice does not exist.
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The Website www.condition-critical.org with all the country specific URLs www.condition-critical.be, www.condition-critical.ch, www.condition-critical.es, www.condition-critical.nl, www.condition-critical.org, www.conditioncritical.ch, www.estado-critico.es, www.estado-critico.org, www.etat-critique.be, www.etat-critique.ch, www.etat-critique.fr, www.etat-critique.org, www.lage-dramatisch.org, www.lage-dramatisch.de, www.lagedramatisch.org, www.etatcritique.ch, www.lage-dramatisch.ch, www.lage-kritisch.ch, www.lagedramatisch.ch, www.lagekritisch.ch, www.toestand-kritiek.be, www.toestand-kritiek.nl, www.toestand-kritiek.org, www.condizion-critica.it is a project of the International Office of MSF and hosted in Geneva.

Administrative contact [email protected]
Michel PEREMANS

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