The second largest country of Africa, full of paradoxes. On one hand, it is rich in natural resources (including cobalt, copper, coltan, crude oil, diamonds, gold); on the other hand, its inhabitants are among the poorest in the world. For decades, the DRC has been suffering from prolonged conflicts that have led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.
14.02.2023
Love is not like a beautiful flower on a Valentine’s Day stall. Love doesn’t need greenhouse conditions, planned watering seasons and rules about when it should unfold, how plump it should be, or how tall and straight. Just look at the bride and groom! Their love has germinated in harsh Congolese conditions. War is raging all around. Every day, the Congolese here lose everything, including their dignity.
These newlyweds have nothing but each other. They do not know what awaits them. Perhaps in a moment the rebels will start shooting again and they will have to flee. Even so, they want to flee together.
They had nothing. They stayed at a friend’s house, sometimes under the bare sky or under a makeshift tarpaulin. They were only strong because they had each other. Sister Agnieszka knew this well, and in the middle of the rebel-occupied area, she organised a fairy-tale wedding. She found a white dress, clothes for the groom and a car to take the couple to the church.
A wedding in the middle of war-torn Congo shows how much we can learn from these people. Love in spite of adversity – this can be anyone’s story, which we wish everyone on this Valentine’s Day.
11.09.2024
Little Fabien needs urgent help! Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis sounds mysterious, although it’s estimated that this anatomical defect occurs in as many as 8 in 1,000 children. For Fabien, born in the heart of the Congolese bush, this diagnosis could mean a slow death from starvation and dehydration. His mother was at a loss—her son […]
21.08.2024
A woman who loses her husband is called a widow. A child who loses their parents becomes an orphan. We have words for so many things, but there is no word for a parent who loses a child. Perhaps it’s because such a reversal of the natural order is beyond what our hearts, let alone […]
28.06.2024
When I was leaving for tests with other patients, I asked the physiotherapist to bring Dawid some juice – maybe he will wake up from this coma, maybe he will be thirsty? The news of Dawid’s passing reached Sister Agnieszka the same day. She had fought for him for many months, providing him with treatment […]
