One Million Thumbprints - DRC

In 2016, I traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the organization One Million Thumbprints. We traveled 3 hours inland from Goma to a small village to meet an extraordinary group of women. These women were all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence by the rebels during the war in the DRC. A local World Relief program provided trauma support to these women as they healed and rebuilt their lives. Our team of 14 women was honored to spend a day listening to and learning from these women. After spending a few days in the DRC, we flew to Tanzania and embarked on a trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro, summitting on International Women's Day (March 8, 2016). We raised funds and awareness for the programs supporting the very women we had just met. Their faces, hugs, and brave stories were the best motivation we could have asked for.