Reference :
V-P-CD-E-01772
Date :
10/2012
Caption :
North Kivu. Four months before this picture was taken, Sofia lost her husband and was separated from two of her four children during a brutal attack on her village in Southern Masisi.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
"They [the armed group] came in the early morning when everyone was asleep. We suddenly heard gunshots. The next thing I knew was that my husband was dead and that I was hit." She was severely wounded when she was shot and attacked with machetes and was barely alive when she was transferred to Goma. At CBCA N'Dosho, a civilian hospital in Goma supported by the ICRC, the doctors, not believing it possible themselves at first, managed to save her life. The ICRC health delegate describes her survival as nothing short of a miracle, but adds that Sofia's very strong and combative personality must have played a part. Emotionally, these past few months have been extremely painful, but Sofia says that the help provided by the ICRC-trained psychosocial assistant has helped her to feel better and given her the courage to keep going. Soon after this picture was taken, the ICRC managed to trace Sofia's other two children. The family were all reunited in a transit centre in Goma and then moved abroad to join family members there.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
3511x4096
Orientation :
portrait
Colour/B&W :
colour
