10/04/2024 DRC (International Christian Concern) – Eleven-year-old Esther is one of nine children in her family, which lives in a rural farming village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On January 5, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked her village and started shooting indiscriminately, killing many. The rebels then abducted Esther, along with her mother, father, and three other relatives.

While in the forest, the ADF sexually abused and raped Esther and her mother. Esther, who was badly wounded, needed urgent medical treatment.

“It is a pity for me to see that this has happened to us, and more especially my daughter whom these enemies of peace have abused,” Esther’s father said. “I don’t know what to say. I’m praying that the Lord shall forgive them.”

International Christian Concern (ICC) paid for Esther’s medical treatment and helped her after she left the hospital.

“I recognize that God exists because I was like a dead person when I was raped by four men successively,” she said. “I [couldn’t handle] the pain of four men abusing me successively. I was wounded terribly, my body was deformed, and I had serious issues. I was worried I would become sterile in my future if I didn’t have medical treatment.”

ICC also provided food aid and other necessities for the family as they recovered from this traumatic attack.

“I thank ICC for what they have done for me,” Esther said. “What ICC has done to me is beyond my understanding. It is a very big surprise to me. God our witness has seen what is in my heart. I was dead, but now I am alive.”

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