Living with fear

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Imagine watching helplessly as your daughters are abducted. Imagine the agony of not seeing them for weeks, not sure if they are dead or alive. Imagine finally being reunited with them only to discover that they experienced horrors at the hands of their captors. And then imagine living every day in fear that armed militia will return and take them once again. For the past year, this has been the reality for 34-year-old Justine Misa. Justine lives in Linakofo, a camp for displaced persons about 10 km from Dungu town in Haut Uélé, northeastern D.R. Congo. Early in 2010, militia attacks forced Justine and her six children to flee from their home village and seek refuge in Linakofo. However, just a few months later, rebel militia abducted two of her daughters just a short distance from the camp.On that May morning, Justine and her children had gone to the forest in search of food. But rebels found them and seized two of Justine’s daughters, 13-year-old Jolie and 10-year-old Eliza. “I was very sad, I cried each day that they were gone, until I could not cry anymore,” said Justine. “I thought I would never see them again.” A month after being captured, Eliza escaped and returned to Linakofo. Eliza recounts how she and her elder sister experienced frequent physical and sexual violence at the hands of their captors and how they dreamed of escape. “There was this one other girl who tried to escape,” explained Eliza. “When they caught her, they beat her up really badly.”When Eliza ran away, she was scared not just for her own life, but also for Jolie. But Jolie survived and managed to also escape a month later. “It was a miracle that the girls came back,” said Justine.Precarious Living ConditionsHorrific abductions and attacks like this are all too common in the Dungu area. In Linakofo camp, huge, scenic palm and mango trees tower in stark contrast over a scene of grim, unsafe living conditions. More than 1,000 people have fled here to seek refuge and now live in flimsy shelters made of palm leaves, old tarpaulins, and plastic sheets. Regular rebel attacks in the surrounding area have made people too scared to go out to cultivate in the fields. Almost 300,000 displaced persons live in equally deplorable conditions in and around the Dungu area.In overcrowded, unhygienic camps like Linakofo, residents have an increased susceptibility to common diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, and acute respiratory infections. Fortunately, the Dungu May health post offers an oasis of hope for local residents. Medair, in partnership with the EC Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, is providing free access to health care for all internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the area. “If it was not for Medair, we would have had many deaths, as sick people would have just stayed home to die,” said Amon Ndaima, Deputy Nurse-in-Charge at Dungu May. “The population has really benefited from it.”Medair supports 13 health centres within the Haut and Bas Uélé region where families like Justine’s can receive free health care. “If it wasn’t for the health centre, we would have been dead already,” said Justine.A Long Trek in LabourMerci Mborigie has a good reason to be thankful for the Medair-supported clinic in Dungu May. On an evening in March 2011, she was in Linakofo when she started feeling labour pains. Her husband quickly organised for a bicycle to transport her the six kilometres to the Dungu May clinic. “It was difficult,” she said. “I was in pain, but we could not ride the bicycle because it would be too fast for me in my condition, so they just pushed it.” Thankfully, they arrived safely that night, and Merci delivered a healthy baby boy. All of her medical expenses were paid for by the clinic through Medair’s health project. “I do not know what I would have done without your help,” said Merci. “I would have just given birth at home.”The Need for Closer CareHowever, although the Dungu May health post is saving many lives in the region, it is located six kilometres away from Linakofo, not an easy walk or bicycle ride if you are sick or in labour. Most importantly, with frequent attacks from militia, many of Linakofo’s residents are reluctant to risk this long journey for fear of violence. “If we could have a health post here at the camp with someone to take care of the sick people, it would really help,” said Modeste Saba Agimirungu, the head of the IDP committee at Linakofo. For this reason, Medair plans to establish a health post at Linakofo. We have already received crucial support from EO Metterdaad, a Dutch fundraising foundation, but we still need private donations to enable us to establish a health post that will provide sick people with free health care close to home, without fear of being attacked on their way to the clinic. We also plan to support the distribution of free mosquito nets for pregnant women and children under the age of five, since malaria is still the major cause of preventable deaths in this region. Pregnant women will receive clean delivery kits so that even if they cannot reach a health centre, they still have the necessary materials to give birth hygienically and thus reduce the risk of infection for mother and child.The biggest wish for most people in Linakofo is that peace will one day prevail in eastern D.R. Congo, so that their lives can return to normal. “Their lives are full of enormous adversity which they face with uncomplaining resilience,” said Gloria Lihemo, Medair Field Communications Officer. “With adequate access to health care in close proximity to the camp, they will have at least one less thing to worry about.”You can help make a major difference for people like Justine and her children who have been living in fear in Linakofo. You can support us with a critically needed donation that will help us establish a health post for the people of Linakofo. You can also work with us on our life-saving projects in D.R. Congo or in another Medair programme. Please act now.Medair’s D.R. Congo programmes are supported by the E.C. Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, the United States Agency for International Development, Swiss Solidarity, the Pooled Fund, the Global Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, and private donors.As one of the longest-serving INGOs in the region, Medair has delivered emergency relief and rehabilitation in northeastern D.R. Congo since 1997. Medair provides health care for more than one million people a year in Ituri, Bas-Uélé, and Haut-Uélé districts, supporting more than 200 health structures with technical guidance, supervision, training of health staff, and supplies of medicines and materials. Medair also works to improve access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in the region. Medair is extending its health and WASH programmes into the remote Ango territory, and repairing bridges to make road transport possible, thereby improving access to the vulnerable population.This web feature was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.