|PORTRAIT |

Joy MMOTONG wears her cap, nicely fixed over the skull, letting everyone see her short hair, sparkling eye and an attractive smile. Her gray overalls turns out to be her daily costume. Her function : Oryx Helicopter Mechanic within MONUSCO Helicopter Composite Unit at Goma Airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This 155-member unit, including some 60 women, is under the command of another woman, Lieutenant-Colonel Liliane Niemack.

However, Joy Mmotong is the only woman among the eight mechanics who work in the maintenance of the five Oryx helicopters permanently based in Goma within the emergency medical evacuation unit facilities.

“We are trained and prepared for all sorts flights: day, night, combat, transport and medical as well as medical evacuations. We must be ready to react quickly and at any time. I am appreciative of the adrenaline, ” she says enthusiastically.

South African Army mechanics perform rotations every three months in peacekeeping missions. This is the second time Joy Mmotong has been assigned to Goma in the Composite Helicopter Unit, whose mission is to be ready 24 hours a day for airborne evacuations of the sick and injured for MONUSCO, whether civilians or the military personnel.

“I have conducted missions to Tanzania and Malawi. However, MONUSCO is the only Peacekeeping Mission for which I have served so far. Of course, if I have the opportunity, I would love to carry out other missions with the South African army. Because, it's indeed an honor to serve at least once in one’s life as a blue helmet under the United Nations flag. ”

Sergeant Joy Mmotong, 32 years old, has ten years of service with the South African military to date. She joined the military in January 2010 after seeing an advertisement in a local newspaper in Pretoria, South Africa, where she is from. She followed  a training for twelve months during which she learned all the basics about the profession of soldier. Then in 2011, she joined the mechanics school of the military air fleet and graduated in 2014. "I was gifted in two subjects during my schooling: mathematics and physics," she says. It was only natural that once she joined the army, she turned to mechanics "even if I didn't know anything about it before. I am now assigned to the maintenance of the Oryx helicopter, "she further says, admitting that she likes this job very much.

In her spare time, Joy practices boxing which she says helps her to relax. And when she’s not on a mission, her other hobby is that of working in the kitchen to make new recipes. “Cooking is like mechanics: one has to be very careful and neat so that everyone would enjoy the food. In mechanics, error is not allowed. "

 * | May 29 marks the celebration of the International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers. It is an opportunity to pay tribute to the civilian and military personnel deployed in the United Nations peace missions around the world. This year's theme is: “Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace”. MONUSCO invites you to discover, through a series of portraits, the invaluable contributions of Women Peacekeepers in the service of peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.