In late march the Danish Refugee Council distributed 483 kits to single mothers in Fataki in the Ituri district of DR Congo. The kit contained blankets, towels, mosquito nets, hygiene items and utensils for cooking.

Single mothers below 30 years of age are especially vulnerable, as many have suffered from sexual violence during and after the conflict in the area. Rape has become a strategically used weapon in the ongoing conflicts in DR Congo, and the rape rate is among the highest in the world.

"I was walking home after working in the field, when a young man living in the neighbourhood followed me, and he violated me close to the road. After that he escaped to Uganda and he never came back. His family here claims that the baby is theirs. But they never support me,” says Mave, a 20 year old mother to a three year old girl, and one of the beneficiaries.

The distribution of the kit containing blankets, towels, mosquito nets, hygiene items and cooking utensils took place on a football field in Fataki, and the content of the kit was decided in cooperation with the women. A selected group of women were asked to list the most needed items in their household.

“After the war we lost all, and these things are a very important starting point to help our families. But what I liked most was the mosquito net. This will be very important for our family,” tells Imani, a 20 year old mother to a one year old girl.

Another woman, Sifa, explains how the petrol lamp will change her daily life: “…Now I will be able to study at night after finishing all my work at home.”

As all mothers around the world the single mothers in Fataki have great hopes for their children. Sifa: “I want my boy to study hard, I would love to see him become a doctor”.

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