'Without Mamas for Africa, I would no longer be here'
Julie, mother of four and survivor
Raped and rejected
‘Here in East Congo, we sometimes trek to the forest to pick berries and edible plants. But recently things went wrong. Three men appeared. I was raped and beaten like an animal. At home, I was also disowned by my husband.’
Speaking is Julie, mother of four and survivor.
‘Normally I don't venture into the forest. This time, unfortunately, hunger after a failed harvest left me no choice. Two village wives convinced me to go with them. A mother will do anything to provide food for her children. Unfortunately, it went wrong.’
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Besides medical help, we also provide much-needed psychological care.
When she was raped, Julie was disowned by her husband. So on top of the extreme grief of sexual assault, she got that on her plate too. Our psychologists help her to heal that trauma. We also take up the conversation with her husband and family in the hope of breaking the taboo. And working towards a reconciliation. With results!
In East Congo, raped women are often disowned, especially in remote villages.
Fear and shame play a major role. Through prevention, mediation and awareness-raising, Mamas for Africa manages to successfully break old patterns.
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‘If it wasn't for Bora (employee Mamas for Africa), no one would have helped me’
Mamas for Africa is the only organisation present in the area where Julie lives. Our nurses, psychologists and psycho-social assistants regularly travel there to care for women who are victims of sexual violence or suffer from serious ailments such as uterine prolapse and fistula, but have no access to a hospital. That makes us absolutely unique!
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