#Kalehe: After the floods, it is mourning for Amina
By Rodrigue Harakandi, Communications Officer
The floods that occurred in Kalehe in the DRC on 4 May 2023 had catastrophic repercussions for the local population. The consequences of these events were as dramatic as they were devastating.
Houses are submerged, land is drowned under the floods, and the streets are transformed into rivers, where people wander, lost and without rest.
The floods have washed away everything, leaving behind shattered lives, uncertain futures and communities in search of a brighter future.
This is the case of Amina, 41, a pregnant woman and former World Vision volunteer who was raising awareness about hygiene promotion and food security activities.
Amina lost her husband and six of her children in one evening, all killed by the floods. All she found were the bodies of her husband and two children, deformed by the disaster.
"Rainwater came and washed us all away with the house. After about five minutes of tumbling, I got stuck in the mud before two men came to rescue me and took me to the hospital late at night", recalls Amina.
"When I woke up, I have been informed that my husband and two of my children had been found dead and four other children were missing", Amina says, crying.
The number of dead bodies found is now high. More than 400 people have died in the floods, and more than 5,000 people remain unaccounted for, leaving behind families torn apart.
"I don't sleep at night anymore. When it gets dark, I go to bed, the images of my husband and my children spin in my head one after the other. All the beautiful memories I had with each of them come back to me and make me cry. I would have preferred to die with them than to stay alive and experience this excruciating pai ", adds Amina, her eyes full of tears.
In the face of this unprecedented disaster, urgent needs were felt by the population, and World Vision was the first to respond, providing assistance to those in need.
Three days after the disaster, World Vision deployed its food aid team, which launched a distribution of energy biscuits to 11,000 households, before launching a distribution of essential household kits a few days later, which will be followed by a food distribution thanks to World Vision's partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The stormy waters of Kalehe have washed away everything, including the communities' hope for a better future. A few years ago, World Vision launched a food security project (FSP) to improve the lives of people in the area.
The project included drinking water supplies, a programme to improve food security, and savings and credit for development, but all of this was washed away by the devastating waters.
"Now everything has to be rebuilt for the affected communities. To do this, Word Vision needs support. The organisation is calling for action from its donors and partners to help rebuild these flooded lands of despair," says Gabriel Mukoloka, Deputy chief of party.
The flood took everything, but solidarity with the survivors is a powerful way to go. Helping them regain their dignity is the best option to help them move forward.