In 2007, I traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to shoot a short film for UNFPA on obstetric fistula and traumatic fistula. The ED of UNFPA at that time - Thoraya Obeid - was scheduled to make a special trip for International Women's Day. In the Eastern part of the country, in a region called Kisangani, the UNFPA office, the local authorities and the community were planning a special celebration to welcome her.
Unfortunately, a few days before her expected arrival, fighting broke out in the capital of Kinshasa and an estimated 250 people were killed. The staff at the UNFPA office in Kinshasa told me how they were forced to stay the weekend in the basement as the fighting was most serious where they were located. Luckily for me, I left for Kisangani the day before all this went down.
Anyway, although Thoraya never made the celebration bc of security concerns, everyone else moved forward with the event.
Below are some photos of that as well as some of the fistula patients at the main hospital.
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