When Joyce was heavily pregnant with Emiliana, violence was spreading in their part of the DRC. As she went into labour, bombs were falling nearby. When Emiliana was two months old soldiers reached their village and the family hid in the forest, knowing that returning home meant capture or death.
They fled to Bulengo Camp for displaced people. Joyce told us: ‘Emiliana was in a near-death state. I tied her to my chest and covered her with a blanket... I was scared and... I was asking God, if I die, who will take care of my child?’
In Bulengo, food and water were scarce. After two days the family faced serious hunger and thirst.
They've since returned home but the trauma remains. Joyce says: ‘All the time I am thinking about the war... Emiliana’s whole five months of life have been very stressful. She doesn’t even get enough time to play with me – her mother – due to my fear.’
