When thousands of displaced Congolese arrived in the eastern town of Kanyabayonga fleeing M23 rebels last month, local resident Jeanine Bitasimwa acted as she always does in these circumstances: She welcomed destitute families into her humble home.
“We agree to welcome the displaced because we do not know if we too will be displaced one day in this country, which only seems to experience war,” Bitasimwa told The New Humanitarian on a visit to Kanyabayonga late last month.
Some 1.5 million people are currently uprooted following two years of ruinous conflict between the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group and the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is supported by foreign states and local militias.
Aid groups and media reports have largely focused on the plight of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people living in official camps, mainly around the city of Goma, which is the capital of North Kivu, the province most affected by the conflict.
Yet holding together the humanitarian response in villages and towns across North Kivu - where Kanyabayonga is located - is an army of host families who have flung open their doors and are sharing out their scarce resources.
Негізгі бет ‘They are the first to save us while we wait for the humanitarians to arrive.’
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