Joseph Mavinga Tubi, DRC "Only my faith keeps me going"

A widower, Joseph Mavinga Tubi, has had to bring up his eight children alone in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Nganda Musolo, 65 km northeast of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since his wife's death in July 2002, Mavinga, who is also a pastor in the IDP camp's Chaplain of Jesus, says only his faith now keeps him going. Already displaced by civil war, lava from the volcanic eruption of Mt Nyiragongo in North Kivu Province, totally destroyed Mavinga's home in the town of Goma. He spoke to IRIN on 26 April about life as an IDP.

"Living in this camp is too painful for me. Because I still have very bad memories: My wife died here in July 2002 after a short illness.

"Helped by nuns of the Jesuits Refugees Service, we managed to get her to the general hospital where doctors could not diagnose her condition.

"Forgotten by the government and humanitarian agencies, only my faith keeps me going and allows me to comfort all those who live with me in this camp.

"Running away from 1998 war in Goma, where I lived with my family, I lost all what I had as means of survival. I was mining gold and growing coffee.

"But I still kept on preaching in my ministry in Rutshuru, in north Goma. The night I fled, I left a good quantity of gold, which I had stashed away because Rwandans and rebels who came were targeting people who were in my position.

"Unfortunately, the 16 January 2002 volcanic eruption made my life even worse. When my sister, who had stayed behind told me that my house had completely melted in the 1.5-meter-deep lava, I was completely demoralised and the death of my wife here has been an unbearable shock.

"I placed my hope in the gold which I had managed to hide carefully and I believed that I could regain my former station in life despite what happened. Imagine my state today!

"What an abrupt change in my life! I am now helpless, not knowing whether to return to Goma, stay in Kinshasa or to go back to the [neighbouring] Republic of Congo from where I originate. Other than pastoral duties, I now do not know what else to do in these displaced camps of Nganda Musolo.

"And the return to Goma is improbable because security is not yet assured for me to resume my business."