The ICRC is furthering the rehabilitation of people with a handicap in Ituri via its support for the Rwankole centre, in particular by providing orthopaedic appliances, prostheses, wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Since its construction in 2023, the centre has helped a large number of people with disabilities, 80% of them from areas affected by armed conflict and violence.

Like many others, Kimareki Bonhomme arrived at the centre suffering not only pain in his armpits from supporting his weight on crutches but – worse still – the stigma of the way people looked at him. He was just hoping to leave the centre with an artificial leg. He had no idea his prosthesis would open up new horizons.

“When I arrived at the ICRC-supported centre, I found several physical therapy balls in the room. I amused myself by hopping around with them, even though I only had one foot,” he recalls.

Thanks to awareness-raising sessions organized by the paralympic league at the Rwankole centre, Kimareki soon joined the local wheelchair basketball team, before being selected to play at national level.

“I played my first match at this level in Kinshasa, against the Central African Republic. My family back in Bunia couldn’t believe it. When I came home from Kinshasa I showed them videos of the matches. Their perception has completely changed regarding this sport – and me,” he says with a smile.

Chantal Tabo (44) is another patient at the ICRC-supported rehabilitation centre. She lost the use of both legs in 2006 when she stepped on a mine in a village near Bunia.

The landmines in Ituri were laid during the armed conflicts of the 1990s. But they continued to affect the population until the 2000s.

“I’d gone to draw water with my two children. I was pregnant. I had no idea there was a mine near the water point. It exploded, flinging me through the air. I lost the baby in my belly and one of my children was wounded in the head. My husband abandoned me, because he thought there was no future for us.”

It was twelve years before Chantal received her first prostheses. The ICRC had to take her to the Heri Kwetu centre in Bukavu, about 500 kilometres away. Today, she goes to the Rwankole centre in Bunia when her prostheses need replacement. By giving her mobility and autonomy, they have enabled her to rebuild her life.
 

“My prostheses allow me to do housework. And I’ve started growing manioc, corn, bananas and vegetables, and selling various products.”