Kisangani, 24 February 2012 – Little Bénédicte is now safe and sound. Bénédicte is the name of a little girl from Kisangani, capital of Province Orientale, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While on a field visit to the Kisangani nutrition centre, a team of the Office of Public Information of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) bumped into her. She had been suffering for some days from a broken leg. She will now be able to play like all the other children of her age. We can say that she was lucky.

The story dates back to December 2011, when MONUSCO officials on a field visit found her crying in front of her helpless mother. Bénédicte was only 26 months-old. A few days earlier, she had broken her leg after falling off from a chair, on which she was playing. Her mother, who had no financial resources, could not take her to a health centre. The team that came to her rescue started to look for a health centre that could take her in, but to no avail. All the centres contacted were charging fees beyond what the poor mother could afford. That is when the team turned to MONUSCO Level I hospital in Kisangani where she was immediately admitted.

An x-ray taken in town had confirmed that the right leg was broken. The Medical Unit of the Bangladeshi Battalion then decided to put a plaster around it. Two months later, on 23 February, the little girl had her plaster removed. Today, Bénédicte walks again normally and with that, has also returned her smile. As for the mother, she is grateful to MONUSCO for saving her daughter's leg.

Marylène Seguy/ MONUSCO