"My name is Nyirangabe Semivumbi and I am 46 years old. I have six children, four girls and two boys. I had just finished paying the mortgage on my house in Goma town when the volcano erupted. The same day, I left everything I had and ran with my kids to neighbouring Rwanda to a town called Gisenyi. Once in Gisenyi, the tremors caused by the eruption were felt even there. Some houses started to crumble, so once again, I had to flee, this time back to Congo.
"Back in Congo, I took refuge in an area called Nyabushongo, in Goma province. I stayed there for a few days before being transferred to a site which was being setup especially for people like me, victims of the Nyirangongo volcano. I stayed there for some months but it was overcrowded.
"God heard my prayers, and I was transferred to the Mugunga site to await resettlement. I still live under a tent though. I have a small plot of land given to me by the government, but I have nothing else. I cannot build a house without assistance.
"I used to have a good life before the catastrophe. I had a small business selling beans and other staple food. I could feed and clothe my children, send them to school. Now, my life has changed for the worse. It is a life full of hardships and disease. Now, to get money I sell illegal liquor ("gasigisi"). I only sell a gallon, and if I am lucky, the whole thing goes in one day. This is a very hard life and I do not know if I can survive this. I shudder to think of what would happen to my children if I died."
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions