“War is not a good thing. It causes many to become disabled, others die,” says Melissa, a patient at Shirika la Umoja, an orthopedic center operating on the front lines of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict. “We pray for it to end, and that the country’s leaders have mercy on us.”
Backed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since 2005, the facility has long fitted prosthetic limbs for people with disabilities. But as fighting has escalated, so has demand. Technician Julienne Paypay says the case mix has shifted dramatically: “In previous years, most patients were born with disabilities. Today, most are war amputees.”
Among them is Amani Jérôme Jean-Claude, who lost his wife and four children when armed groups attacked in April. Gravely wounded, he underwent a leg amputation. “When I arrived here, they welcomed me warmly,” he recalls. “And when I tried the prosthetic, I felt like I could walk again.”
The numbers tell the story. Since early 2025, the center has treated more than 800 people with severe injuries. Prosthetic production 422 devices in all of 2024—has already reached 326 in the first half of 2025, and staff expect demand to grow as hostilities persist. Each fitting involves weeks of measurement, molding, alignment and gait training, often paired with psychological support for survivors coping with trauma and loss.
Shirika la Umoja’s response hinges on reliable funding, access to materials, and the safety of medical teams who must navigate volatile front lines. With no clear end to the conflict, clinicians warn that needs will outpace capacity without additional support—from authorities to ensure security corridors and from donors to sustain supplies, staffing and rehabilitation services.
For Melissa and countless others, the hope is simple: an end to the violence, and the chance to rebuild their lives—one careful step at a time.
