By Chris Crowstaff, Safeworld founder

Early in 2010, a remarkable husband and wife team joined the Safeworld online volunteers centre.

Meet Bahati and Mugisho

Bahati Valérie and her husband, Mugisho Theophile, live in Rwanda but they are originally from South Kivu in DR Congo. Like many others, they have fled from conflict.

When we first 'met' Bahati and Mugisho online, Mugisho had found work at Kigali University and Bahati was at home with their 3-year-old daughter. But they could not abandon the people they had left at home in the DRC. Especially the women.

Mugisho would recount to me stories of the violence 'back home'; of the rape and abuse of women. Of the poverty and hopelessness.

Over time, I came to know more about the region. Like many people I already knew a little about the genocide in Rwanda and that DR Congo was a country which seemed to be in endless conflict. I had heard of conflict minerals and armies fighting for control. But this was different.

This was first-hand and there was a passion that was contagious and unstoppable. For Mugisho and Bahati, the story had to be told.

Mugisho sent us the first of many articles and blogs, An Eye on Mass Rapes in DRC.

Bigger Plans

One day Mugisho said that they were going to be going to the DRC to visit their family and friends. I suggested that perhaps they could talk to some of the women and we could publish their stories.

Their plans were bigger.

By the time they got back to Rwanda they had decided to set up an organisation to actively do something to support the women and girls around their homeland in South Kivu. They called it COFAPRI

Within months they had gone further. They had established local coordinators in ten villages and were building a network. All with their own money.

Soon we were getting photos of the livestock they had bought - and more stories from the women.

Arrest and Release

The New Year of 2011 began with the following email from Mugisho:

"I hope you started the new year in a safe way with Safeworld. Bahati is pregnant and we hope this time God will bless us with a kid... [Bahati had suffered a series of miscarriages].
We are also sorry to let you know that one of our members has been arrested in Nyangezi. He was arrested for rebelling women and girls, which is not true. He was just discussing issues of household and war violence in the country. Now I am on the way to the place to see how we can intervene for his release."

And, two weeks later, the following:

"I am terribly sorry not to have been in touch with you for such a long period. Indeed, I was struggling to release the member who was arrested, which I succeeded... Thank you for the efforts you had summoned to help us free our member.  He is very committed to continue his activities. The candle is lighted to chase darkness."

New Baby - Even More Plans

You would think that with the combination of a new baby, and the obvious dangers that they might be putting themselves into, would have given Mughisho and Bahati second thoughts

But no; within a few weeks of the birth of their baby son in April, they had even more plans.

Bahati would make the journey this time. It was felt that, as a women, she would connect closely with the women and present less of a 'threat' to the men.

"For us the best way to sensitize village women is to integrate their daily activities, this is what Bahati is doing with them when she meets them at their home. They understand that we are really committed to uplifting them as women. Bahati discusses their daily activities and issues with them."

Later that summer, when Bahati was safely back in Rwanda, we received news that COFAPRI members and one of the villages had suffered great loss. Armed bandits had come from the mountains, raided stores, stolen animals and even looted the school, which was Mugisho's childhood school. Moreover, they kidnapped a man at gunpoint and refused to free him until a ransom of $15,000 was paid.

Country Back at War

Over the next few months, Mugisho and Bahati made several more trips to the DRC. Every journey was fraught with dangers. But the respect for the work they were doing in the villages grew. Soon even many local village elders were on their side.

By May this year, the international media was carrying regular stories about a new outbreak of violence in DRC, and accusations that the Rwandan government was connected to the violence. We started to get increasingly worrying emails.

Mugisho said there was an increased presence of the militia in the region and the local communities were growing alarmed, remembering the previous atrocities.

"The DRC, my country is again under fire. A new war is initiated in North Kivu province. War is raging and many innocent people are being killed while thousands of others are fleeing the area, making them become homeless. The situation makes everyone in the country very angry and fearful.  War is the only discussion on people's tongues. Things are worsening day to day. "

But the troubles weren't limited to inside the country

Border Trouble

Mugisho started writing about troubles at the border

"The DRC embassy in Rwanda issues us with legal papers that confirm we are Congolese based in Kigali and, in that temporary passport, Rwanda attaches the work permit. However, when we go the DRC, those custom officers refuse it saying it is not legal. Their aim is that you give them corruption money."

By the end of July, Bahati was busy preparing for her next trip to the DRC. This time their daughter Jemima wanting to go as well. It was school-holidays and she wanted to visit her homeland.

Mugisho contacted the local coordinators, who checked out  the situation to assess safety. They reported that the situation in their region was so far unaffected by the renewed conflict, and by mid-August, Bahati had left for her travels with the two children.

Two days later Mugisho wrote and said they had safely reached the first village,. They were already having meetings with the COFAPRI members there, and were making plans to travel on with a small team, over the mountains to the more remote villages.

Someone had gone on ahead to check the security situation and all still seemed safe. The following Monday, Bahati had completed her travels around the villages and was starting the long journey home when we suddenly got an email..

'Bahati refused entry to Rwanda'.

We had no real idea what that meant and immediately started wondering what we could do - who could we talk to. What did this mean? But Mugisho wrote a few hours later and explained.

'Corruption Money'

At the border the DRC customs officials had refused to stamp her documents. Although she had the proper paperwork, the customs people refused to accept them. They demanded money for some worthless paperwork which Bahati knew was meaningless. Realising that this is a way for the border guards to receive corruption money, she refused to purchase the 'temporary passport'.

"When they saw they did not get anything from her as corruption, they called her in a dark small room where they told her to stay in order to be checked whether she has no arm or minerals on her. This was just a way to scare her so that she pays them money.

We have tried to call different people to intervene so that she can be allowed to cross the border but in vain. She and both kids have official, authorized and known documents from both Rwanda immigration office and the Embassy of DRC in Kigali. At this hour, Bahati is till in the DRC but safe with both kids.

The situation is not that alarming but we have to denounce intimidation, corruption and non-respect of human rights. Bahati is not the only person who has been harassed in this way at this border. What is surprising is that the documents they refuse at this border are accepted in the other borders like Rwanada Goma in North East and the border Burundi DRC"

They were refusing to let Bahati and the children through. They were stranded. They even took her camera and also her phone so that she could not call for help! But at least she was not in danger. There was nothing we could do of course except watch and wait. Two days later Mugisho sent another update

"I have been in contact with Bahati right now on the phone [she used her brother's phone].

The situation in the DRC is really disheartening. She says the officials at the border told her that, being a woman, she has no right to travel with kids without the written permission of the husband."

Finally at the end of the week, we finally heard the news we were all waiting for:

"I have been in contact with Bahati and our two kids; they are fine and finally they have been allowed to cross the border.

Now she is on the way coming to Kigali. She called me, using a passenger's phone on the same bus.

She did not get back either the phone and the camera from the customs officers. But no matter as she has crossed the border with both kids."

The Full Story at the Border

When she got home the full story emerged. At the border had at first accused Bahati of trafficking children. They said she must provide evidence the children were hers. She asked them why they did not ask her such question when she entered, and showed them the papers.

Next they asked her for the letter written and signed by the husband to allow her to travel with the kids. They demanded that her husband must produce such a letter allowing her to cross the border with the kids and confirming the kids were hers. There was no such letter. Bahati kept arguing with them until they let her go.

"This border is called Poste de Rusizi 1 in French, and it connects the city of Bukavu in the DRC and that of Cyangugu in Rwanda. Corruption has been a rule of thumb there.

There are two main leaders in bribery and corruption; they are Michel and Solange, respectively a man and a woman. They never hide that they need passengers to give them cash, regardless the documents you have. They might tell you they need soda, chai, etc; we often hear them asking ‘will my children eat your papers?

The local authorities are aware of this but they do nothing.

This has become the set culture in the minds of people since they are rarely paid for the job they do every day. Those who are paid earn too little money that cannot cover their family members’ needs, which pushes them into corruption. You cannot take them to justice because that justice will never listen to you; they may ask you if you do not come from DRC, meaning this is the way things work here. This border has often been reported in newspapers because of their expertise in corruption.

What is surprising is that the same documents they refused at that border are accepted at both Goma and Uvira customs. This must be stopped because it will culminate into catastrophe sooner or later."

Undaunted

For Mugisho and Bahati this was just another of many incidents they have to go through. They see it as part of their work .

Already Mugisho is planning his next visit.

"First, men and boys members of Cofapri sent Bahati to tell me they need me for an exchange of ideas.

Second, the head priest of Nyangezi parish also sent Bahati to tell me he also wants to discuss with me regarding joint collaboration with his parish. Nyangezi is a conglomeration of more than 40 villages in which we have members."

Self-funded

To date, COFAPRI is still funded entirely by Mugisho and Bahati's personal resources.

DONATE TO COFAPRI