Democratic Republic of Congo appeal - Ilunga Kasongo's story
Ilunga, a mother of four, was born in the village of Kapembe in Democratic Republic of Congo and lived there all her life until she was forced to flee in February 2005.
When the news came that the Mai Mai were on their way to the village, Ilunga fled with her children and made the journey to Kabongo on foot, where she built herself a grass house for shelter and stayed until her return to Kapembe in July 2006. Everything she had to leave behind was taken by the militia and she came back to a damaged house with no roof and no belongings or clothes. The clothes she and her children are wearing are shredded and barely cover them.
When asked how she feels about the future she said "Things will improve now because the Mai Mai have gone. Now I'm back I'm going to stay here forever". Her house is roughly 5 feet by 7 feet. All she has in it are a couple of metal bowls, two wooden stirring spoons and a plastic bowl full of manioc leaves. She has made two additional bowls out of charcoal to hold food, but they break easily. The manioc leaves have little or no nutritional value but are all they have for that day. There is nothing else in the house, no clothes, no blanket, no sleeping mat, no possessions, no food supplies. She has covered the roof of her house with grass but this won't hold once the rains start.
Before the conflict started, Ilunga's oldest two children were attending the village school which has been totally destroyed. "The teachers are back in the village now and we are all going to help repair the school in time for September, so the children can go back to school."
