Josée: resilience and bravery in the face of flooding in Bolambi
UNICEF’s emergency kits help families to get back on their feet after homes and village are destroyed
- Français
- English
In the village of Bolambi, nestled in the heart of Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Josée saw her life turned upside down by severe flooding in March 2024.
Pregnant with her sixth child, she and her five other children were forced to take refuge high in the trees as the waters of the River Congo engulfed her village.
"I was afraid one of my children would fall into the water," she recalls.
Finding food was a struggle.
"The vegetables were completely submerged and my husband had to travel long distances by canoe to catch fish," Josée recalls.
After the floods receded, the family was heartbroken to see that their village was destroyed, their home and belongings swept away. They quickly relocated to a neighbouring village where, on arrival, they received an emergency kit provided by UNICEF in partnership with PPSSP (Programme de Promotion de Soins de Santé Primaires). The kit contained items including a bucket, water purification tablets and a colourful cloth wraps traditional to DRC.
"We were able to collect water in the buckets which we then purified with the tablets,” Josée explains. “The soap allowed to wash ourselves, do our laundry and clean dishes. The material allowed us to make some new clothes."
In addition to distributing kits, UNICEF’s emergency response, supported by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the European Union, incorporated a critical health dimension for families affected by the floods.
It was at a health centre rehabilitated by UNICEF that Josée gave birth to her sixth child, a little girl named Souza. She continues to visit the centre to ensure Souza is hitting her growth milestones and getting her routine immunizations.
"My little Souza is doing well. It would have been much harder without the assistance we received," Josée says.
As well as the health centre, UNICEF has also rehabilitated a village water point. Little by little, Bolambi is recovering and Josée and her neighbours are slowly returning to normal life.
