DRC: From Distress to Hope: Marie’s Path to Recovery

Feb 3, 2025 | Michée Kanda
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In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, young girls’ dreams are often stifled by the harsh realities of life. Many face unwanted pregnancies and gender-based violence, often linked to a lack of access to sexual information and appropriate contraceptive methods. This hinders their education, exposes them to physical and mental health risks, and restricts their ability to decide. Yet in the face of adversity, some find the strength to rewrite their destiny. This is the story of Marie, a 17-year-old girl whose courage and resilience brighten a path of hope.

Ever since she was a little girl, Marie dreamed of wearing a white hospital coat and saving lives. “When I looked at doctors on TV or in the street, I said to myself: one day, that’s going to be me,” she says.  Orphaned since the age of 10, she found refuge in her studies and believed that she had a bright future ahead of her. “I knew that my parents, from where they are, would be proud to see me working hard.” But one day, her life took an unexpected turn. Marie discovered that she was pregnant after being raped. She felt overwhelmed by the weight of judgments and the thought of her foster family abandoning her. “I saw my dreams vanishing,” she says. “If I kept this child, I’d lose everything: my studies, my home, maybe even my dignity.” Every day, she wondered if she would have to give up her future.