8/4/2025 DRC (International Christian Concern) — In the evening of Feb. 26, 2024, al-Shabab militants entered Joseph’s village in Lamu county, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), looting homes, stealing livestock, and burning homes down.

The group, known for its efforts to Islamize the Lamu region, kills and wounds Christians to create fear, force conversions to Islam, and displace those who don’t convert. After the militants fled Joseph’s village, he and his family were left with nothing.

“With nine children relying on me, I struggled to put together what was left of my life,” Joseph said. “I wandered through streets lined with ashes of memories, searching for a way forward and how to make ends meet. This event broke me and the entire family. We were struggling with trauma, not knowing where to start from and wondering how life would be with the new situation we were in.”

Joseph and his family put their hope in God, trusting he would provide for them and restore what they had lost.
“I hope that one day everything will be alright and that God will provide a way,” Joseph said.

Soon after they found shelter in a camp for displaced people, a pastor visited the family and heard their story. The pastor shared the family’s needs with an International Christian Concern (ICC) staffer. ICC provided Joseph’s family with food.

“The assistance that I got from ICC was not only emergency assistance, but it was a source of hope to restore my life and my family,” Joseph said.

The ICC later provided Joseph with a motorcycle for transportation and as a means of earning an income. He quickly started delivering goods and driving passengers. His earnings gradually grew, allowing him to provide for his children.

“The motorcycle became more than just a means of transportation,” Joseph said, “it was my second chance.”

ICC also provided Joseph with trauma counselling to help him heal emotionally and spiritually. Today, Joseph’s dignity and life have been restored, and he is healing more each day.

“I don’t hate anymore,” he said. “I ride to heal.”

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