Sites help traumatized women in Congo

By Philippe LOLONGA

July 25, 2025 | GOMA, Congo

Key points:

• Since June, Harper Hill Global has provided support to more than 70 women in eastern Congo who have been victims of sexual violence. 

• Bishop Gabriel Unda thanked Harper Hill Global for its support and called for it to continue.

More than 100 women traumatized by the violence of war in the Kivu region of eastern Congo are being supported at three sites—two in Goma and one in Bukavu.

The three sites have been established through the support and leadership of Harper Hill Global, which is providing therapy, counseling and food support through its Triumph Over Trauma program.

In June, Harper Hill Global came to the aid of survivors of sexual violence, with more than 40 women from a group led by Bibiche Okala receiving food. Okala serves at the United Methodist Health Center in Goma and works with Harper Hill Global. 

Efforts to bring peace to eastern Congo are ongoing, with the signing of an agreement in principle between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebels on July 19 in Doha, Qatar.

A second group, comprising more than 30 women, has just received aid from the church through Harper Hill Global, which is led by the Rev. Neelley Hicks.

“It is a source of satisfaction for us to see our Mother Neelley bring to fruition our plan to help traumatized people in Kivu through donations from people of good will,” said the Rev. Henriette Omoy, who is the leader of the second group in the district of Goma.

In this group, Omoy said she is supporting more than 30 traumatized women. “We organize support sessions every week, and today we gave them food, including a 25-kg bag of rice, a 25-kg bag of corn flour, beans, and 5 liters of olive oil,” she said.

Florida Kavira (right), a mother who has been traumatized by deaths in her family due to violence, thanks The United Methodist Church and donors for food aid. Photo courtesy of the Goma District of the Kivu Annual Conference.

One of the women is Florida Kavira, a mother of four, who described how she was traumatized by the death of her husband during the war in January. “In February, I lost my 12-year-old child to a stray bullet,” she continued. “I thank Maman Omoy Henriette for her moral support, which gives us hope to live. Today, with the help of the food we have just received, it is a huge relief and gives us hope to live once again.”

She appealed for donors to open a support center for the victims.

Vicky, whose full name is being withheld, is another beneficiary. She said she was raped in the Majengo neighborhood in front of her two children, both under age 10, and that the food aid is an act of charity toward traumatized people. 

“I didn't know that today I could be honored by a church because I had been humiliated and no longer felt valuable in my neighborhood,” she said. She thanked Omoy for her moral support and also the donors of the food aid.

“I cannot find the words to express my joy and gratitude to The United Methodist Church through Harper Hill Global, which is mobilizing on behalf of those who have been mistreated,” she said.

“I appeal to donors to help us find employment by opening professional training centers for women here in Goma, whether in sewing or soapmaking, to enable us to become financially independent,” she said. She noted that Kivu is in an economic crisis, marked by the closure of banks.

The Rev. Valentin Amsini, who serves the Majengo local church in Goma, expressed hope for the future. “We have several cases of rape in this district, and we pray that these cases of trauma will find a favorable outcome and that peace will return as soon as possible.”

The Rev. Valentin Amsini prays before distributing food to women in Goma who have suffered sexual violence. The aid was provided through the Goma District of the Kivu Annual Conference. Photo courtesy of the Goma District.

The Rev. Henry Jean Robert Kasongo Numbize, United Methodist district superintendent, added his thanks to the donors and encouraged the government to do everything possible to restore state authority in the eastern part of Congo.

“I would also like to thank Bishop Gabriel Unda for his advocacy at Harper Hill Global on behalf of the war-traumatized people of Kivu,” Kasongo concluded.

“I am convinced that peace is still possible, and I hope for lasting peace,” said Bishop Unda, who leads The United Methodist Church’s Eastern Congo Episcopal Area. 

He expressed thanks for Harper Hill Global’s partnership and shared hope for additional support for the third group of women in Bukavu. 

Lolonga is a correspondent for Harper Hill Global based in Kivu.

How to help: For less than $1 a day, your gift will provide a woman with food, medicine, and trauma recovery. Join the Health and Hope Circle today by becoming a monthly donor! Your monthly donation of $10 or more will directly provide food and trauma recovery resources for survivors of this conflict. Select "Assistance for Victims of Conflict in DR Congo."