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Gladys at the Head of the Procession | From Survival To Governance
Bahati Mubuya Gladys leads a group of women war returnees across the Shamba la Amani collective field in Mudja, Nyiragongo Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 6, 2026. Walking at the front of a procession of women and community members moving through tall grass toward the shared agricultural plot, Gladys embodies the kind of leadership she advocates for: visible, present, physical, and rooted in the land itself. As international peace discussions for eastern DRC continue to unfold in distant capitals Nairobi, Luanda, Washington it is women like Gladys who are doing the daily, unglamorous, irreplaceable work of rebuilding trust between communities that conflict has torn apart, one shared harvest at a time.
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Those Who Survived | From Survival To Governance
Women war returnees participating in the Shamba la Amani program organized by Bahati Mubuya Gladys stand together in the fields of Mudja, Nyiragongo Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 6, 2026. Their faces marked by age, hardship, and resilience look outward toward something not yet visible in the frame: perhaps a future, perhaps simply a horizon worth facing. Brought together by Gladys under the Shamba la Amani initiative despite years of inter-ethnic hostility that drove them apart, these women now share not only a field but a common identity as survivors, mothers, and co-architects of their community's reconstruction. In a region where the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic and formal peace processes repeatedly falter, it is the stubborn daily solidarity of women like these that keeps the possibility of peace alive.
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The Imprint of Peace | From Survival To Governance
A woman war returnee presses her fingerprint to register for agricultural materials distributed as part of the Shamba la Amani program led by Bahati Mubuya Gladys in Mudja, Nyiragongo Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 6, 2026. The close-up image earth-stained hands pressing identity into a device, a smiling woman visible in the background overseeing the process captures the intersection of dignity and documentation that defines Gladys' approach to community development. Each registration is both a logistical act and a symbolic one: a formerly displaced woman, a survivor of ethnic conflict, officially recognized as a beneficiary, a participant, a citizen entitled to tools, to land, and to a future. Gladys' organization distributed farming equipment during this activity, providing the women of Shamba la Amani the material means to transform the field of peace from a concept into a harvest.
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They have things to say | From Survival To Governance
Women war returnees speak out during a gathering of the Shamba la Amani program organized by community development actor Bahati Mubuya Gladys in Mudja, Nyiragongo Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 6, 2026. Their faces intense, animated, raw with emotion tell stories that no communiqué from any peace summit has ever adequately captured: stories of homes burned, children lost, communities cleaved apart by ethnic violence, and the extraordinary, exhausting courage it takes to return and face a former enemy across a shared field. For Gladys, creating spaces where these women can speak be heard, be counted, be angry, be hopeful is not secondary to peacebuilding. It is peacebuilding. In eastern DRC, where millions of women carry the heaviest burden of conflict while remaining systematically excluded from its resolution, Shamba la Amani insists that their voices are not just welcome they are the foundation on which any lasting peace must be built.
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Isabelle PENDEZA | From Survival To Governance
Isabelle Pendeza is a Gender, Peace, and Security expert with over 10 years of experience in advocacy, mediation, and women’s leadership in conflict affected contexts in North Kivu. As President of CAFED and a member of the Coalition of African Women Mediators, she works to promote women’s participation in peace processes strengthen community resilience, and advance gender equality and human rights. Goma, April 17th 2026
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Aline MURIZABORO | From Survival To Governance
Aline Murizaboro is a young woman from the Southern Province of Rwanda and a beneficiary of SEVOTA. She was born as a result of sexual violence committed against her mother during the 1994 genocide. Growing up without knowing her father, Aline faced deep emotional and psychological challenges from an early age. Aline joined SEVOTA at the age of 12, at a time when both she and her mother were still carrying the weight of their past. The trauma was particularly complex, as the violence that led to her birth was also linked to the loss her mother had endured during the genocide. This made the emotional burden even heavier for both of them. These experiences affected Aline’s early life and education. Due to trauma, she spent nine years completing primary school instead of the usual six. Through SEVOTA, both Aline and her mother began a journey of healing. Being part of a supportive community enabled them to confront their past, rebuild their sense of self, and gradually accept what had happened. “I learned to accept what happened to me. It is part of my story, but it does not stop me from moving forward.” With continued support and determination, Aline was able to pursue her education and successfully complete university. Her journey reflects both personal resilience and the power of collective healing. Today, she uses her experience to encourage others facing similar challenges. Her story is one of strength,showing that even in the face of deep trauma, it is possible to rebuild and move forward. “There is hope for the future. Accepting what happened is not because we do not care, but because wechoose to build a better life.”