Shukuru Tuombe with her daughter, Rosine, in Kibumba village in North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In 2022, the now 28-year-old mother of six, was forced to flee her home due to ongoing conflict between armed rebel groups. After three years of living in a camp for displaced persons, she and her family recently returned to their village following a lull in fighting. Shukuru says: “It was Saturday. It was in the morning. We left around 11am on foot and we arrived at 8pm. I tied them [the children] together with a rope so that I don't lose them. Another one was carrying a little container of drinking water to drink along the way. I carried the other one on my shoulder and took off without carrying anything else.” At the time, Shukuru’s husband who is a driver, was away for work. She used to sell potatoes that she grew at the market and on the roadside, earning 50,000-60,000 francs per day. She says the family ate well with the profits: meat and vegetables and potatoes. When she and her children arrived in the nearest city, Goma, they had nothing with them. Someone gave Shukuru empty rice sacks for her and the children to sleep on and use as blankets. Shukuru also uses these sacks to transport goods to a nearby village to sell to earn money. She earns around 700 francs per day. The family currently lives under a tarp, as their home was destroyed by a bomb. Their land is still there, but they have no seeds to plant. She is grateful for the beans and other food provided by CRS. She says they still need medications for health reasons. “We got help through God's grace because there are others who are still displaced, and they are dying. By God's grace, we have come back home. We are fine here, there are no gunshots, and there is no harassment. The problem we have is that the house in which we live leaks when it rains. We also have an issue getting food. The other problem is that our children cannot study well. They have no school uniform and are hungry and therefore cannot go to learn.” As part of the Goma Emergency Response project, which is privately funded by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and implemented by local partner Caritas Goma, Shukuru and other internally displaced families receive one-month food rations, including 25 kilograms of corn flour, 25 kilograms of rice, 20 kilograms of beans, five liters of oil and one kilogram of salt. During the week of March 24, 2025, more than 2,300 families received this food aid.