East Congo - amazing woman- a jolt to put things in perspective- R4 BBC journalist Mike Thompson award

[northernrefugee39]

This was just on the Today programme and brought a huge lump to my throat. Very very harrowing story last year about Zuwabi who was abducted and endured the worst type of atrocities.
The interview is here, but is extremely upsetting

The journalist helped her, listeners sent in money, and she has pulled herself up.
An unbelievable, amazing woman.

And a platform for the best kind of journalist, who have integrity, humility and conscience, the ability to bring these things to our attention and then get something done.

It just put things in perspective for me.

I caught the latter half of this this morning too. I remember hearing the original report and almost vomiting at the awfulness of it ( as I recall there were lots of warnings about how listeners would find the report disturbing.)

I agree with you - there are indeed some journalists with the good qualities you mention, and thank God for them.

It is incomprehensible that humans could do that to another human but the fact she has carried on and structured some kind of life for herself is what is most amazing.

I was going to start a thread on this today. It made me cry this morning, standing safe in my kitchen making ds's packed lunch.

What unbelievable horrors that woman went through. And thank goodness for people like Mike Thompson, indeed.

Yes, I heard it too - absolutely extraordinary stuff, and I am really glad that he has won an award for it too.

What I found most moving was when she said that everyone told her that he would go back to his own country and forget about her, but he did not, and now he is like her brother. If he has helped her to regain just a tiny amount of trust in other human beings, that is perhaps the best thing of all.

Yes, that was the bit that set me off, von sudenfed.

It is almost inconceivable that human beings can do such things to each other. I don't think I would have been able to function at all after an experience like that. She has some hope, at last. Many others still don't though...

you are all right, of course, the bbc at its best but when i heard the item being cued in my heart sank - i'd spent the months since the first report trying to put that image out of my head. i know one shouldn't brood on these things but - how? how could anyone even dream that up? what unimaginable cruelty.
well, was unimaginable

and, like snaf, i can't help thinking of the hundreds of thousands of others.

also - is she getting any counselling? i doubt it, not available i imagine... once went to a 'psychiatric' hospital in sierra leone. the patients were chained to their beds. there was one phsychologist for the entire country - after all that place went through.

but don't want to detract from the today reports,

and yet and yet - would we have listened or remembered if her story hadn't been quite so cruel and unusual? i worry that journalists are obliged to seek out most horrific stories to get audience attention.

Thank you for sharing this. I missed the programnme. Am now sitting here crying at my monitor.
God it puts crap like the 'credit crunch' into perspective. How brave to keep on living after that.

QWuestion: is Medecins sans frontiers the best chrity to donate to regrading assiting vicitms of atrocities like this? I'd love advice.

I think they said they had a list of charities on their website, and I know that MSF was one of them - someone came in and wrote a cheque to them for £10,000 after hearing the first interview, which is amazing.

I heard that report first time, and when journo went back, and it made me sob both times.

vonsudenfed- yes, I agree about regaining trust.
snaf and wot, yes I know, the hundreds and thousands of others, everywhere..It's a good point you make about whether the story would have been picked up if it hadn't been so horrendous; I do think that we have to know obviously, in order to do something about it, and journalist's motives must be constantly questioned of course.
Think of Don McCullin and all the others who do seem to feel an ultruistic urge to publish the shocking in order to wake people up to doing something.
Not all journalists are motivated by shifting numbers. In this case, the fact he went back and did something shows such compassion.
tonton - it did that to me too, nd the perspective thing hit me with a jolt. I've always thought Medicins sans Frontieres was a great charity- they work in partnership with UNICEF I think.
Congo Action
Victims of congo rape - Personally, I'm going to send something to this
"If readers wish to contribute funds they can do it through the Bank Account of Panzi General Reference Hospital, to which they can send their donation. Please mark the check or bank transfer with "VVS project" ("Victims de Violence Sexuelle Projet", in other words, Victims of Sexual Violence project). This is the project that is run within the infrastructure of the Panzi hospital and in which we treat and rehabilitate the raped women. The hospital is owned and run by the organisation called CEPAC.

Account number: 170-0362031-93 (USD account)
Title of receiver: 8ème CEPAC V/C HOPITAL GENERAL DE REFERENCE DE PANZI
BANQUE COMMERCIALE DU CONGO
AGENCE DE BUKAVU/ RD CONGO
Swift code / BCDCCDKI
I can assure the readers that it is safe to send funds through the hospital, it is very well run and there has never been any problems with donations not reaching the project and the women."
Although it's run by a christian organisation- (which I'm not that happy about tbh) it goes so directly to the women, and is small.