N. was born in the Congo, where she spent most of her life and at some point, became a mother herself. Due to the hostile political conditions and violent power dynamics, she and her daughter decided to leave the country in search of safer and more humane living conditions. Before they managed to leave though, her daughter was killed by the country’s political forces. Thus N. started her journey alone and arrived in Greece in 2019.
Since then, she has been living in Lesvos. Initially, she lived in Moria camp, until it was destroyed in the fires of September 2020. For several days after the disaster, she lived homeless on the street, exposed to danger and all forms of violence, until she was transferred to the new Kara Tepe refugee camp.
She remains there until today and lives in conditions that endanger her physical and mental health. For a long time, N. felt that her life had come to a standstill, while her emotion and mobilization had frozen. With the support of the MdM’s field team, she was able to experience her grief and find motivation to continue her journey.
Now, she stands as a woman who is the voice of her community, offering volunteering services to the local Catholic church and to self-organized groups and organizations.
