Incredible strength of rape victims in eastern Congo

Summary of story from Al Jazeera, medical August 31, tadalafil 2011

Every hour in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, doctor 48 women are raped – around 1,100 a day (see WVoN coverage).

And many women have lost husbands and families to the ongoing violence in the country.

To be a woman in Congo today means suffering, as one woman says.

But one woman is spreading hope and fortitude.

Masika, herself a victim of rape, has helped more than 6,000 women rebuild their lives, providing psychological support and the means to an income for themselves and their children.

Masika and her network of volunteers take in women and children from villages which have been raided. They provide counseling, access to medical care, shelter and clothing, and care for orphans of attacks.

Through donations and money earned from brewing beer, Masika rents a field, where the women come together to sow and harvest crops.

The work is hard, and for most, Masika included, very different to their earlier lives.

Many were cast out by their families after being raped.

‘You’ll feel their suffering. But your task is to try to restore her to her old self. That’s how I’ve managed to look beyond my own pain to help them,’ Masika says.

WVoN comment: This is a 25-minute video, really worth watching. The strength of these women is just incredible.