Safi is 17 years old when she leaves her home village to work in the mining areas in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is one of many young people who hope to escape poverty and find a better life. For young women in particular, this hope usually comes to an abrupt end, because there is no work in the mining areas, especially not for women and girls. In order to survive, Safi soon had no choice but to prostitute herself. It did not take long before she got pregnant. The young woman was lucky, she was able to give birth to her daughter Nala in the safety of a hospital. But after a few months, little Nala became very ill. A test showed that both mother and child were HIV positive. Empty-handed and with a sick child, her despair grew until someone told her about a woman in Bukavu who helps women in difficult situations. And that is how she finally came to Thérèse.
Escape from misery
Thérèse Mema Mapenzi runs the Catholic centre OLAME in Bukavu, which has been supported by DIFÄM for several years. The trauma therapist and her team now ensure that Safi and Nala have a place to stay, enough to eat and adequate medication. Psychosocial support and sharing experiences with other HIV patients in self-help groups are also part of the programme, as is education about the risks of infection and the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Safi's baby could have been protected from infection if she had been given antiretroviral medication in time. Safi and Nala now have a real perspective for the future. They are receiving AIDS medication, which is essential for them to survive, and Safi is taking part in a sewing course with other women. This and other income-generating measures give the women the opportunity to be economically independent in the long term.
Thérèse also makes sure that births take place under medical supervision in a clinic and that pregnant women with HIV infection receive their medication in time so that their children will not be infected and they themselves will remain healthy.
Decades of violence hinder development
For more than two decades, the people of eastern Congo have suffered from persistent and recurring crises caused by armed conflicts between various militia groups. Widespread insecurity and great poverty combined with violence and human rights violations - sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war - are destabilising village communities and force many people to flee.
OLAME not only helps women and children, but also makes an important contribution to the containment of HIV and AIDS in eastern Congo through awareness campaigns, and improves medical care. DIFÄM also supports similar programmes in other African countries. Always with the aim of creating access to quality medical care, despite all the difficulties.
