00:00Moving around is a struggle for 30-year-old Melissa.
00:06Her life forever changed after a bomb struck the town of Numbambiro in North Kivu province back in January.
00:15She narrowly avoided amputation, but her legs no longer functioned properly.
00:20War is not a good thing. It causes many to become disabled. Others die. Everything changes.
00:34War is truly evil. We pray for it to end and that the country's leaders have mercy on us and stop this war that causes so much suffering.
00:41Melissa is one of many receiving care at Shirika La Umoja, an orthopedic center on the front lines of Congo's eastern conflict.
00:56Also here is Amani. His wife and four children were killed by armed groups in April.
01:06The same day I was taken to the hospital and that night my leg was amputated.
01:10After that, they continued treating me and told me they had no other solution but to give me a prosthetic so I could walk like everybody else.
01:20When I arrived here, they welcomed me warmly and showed me how it was made.
01:25And when I tried it, I felt like I could walk again.
01:28Backed by the Red Cross since 2005, Shirika La Umoja has crafted prosthetics for gomers injured.
01:41But as fighting intensifies, so does the demand.
01:44In previous years, the numbers were not this high.
01:53Back then, most people coming here were born with disabilities.
01:57But today, there are four more amputees than before.
02:00Since early 2025, over 800 severely injured patients have sought help here.
02:12Presented demand has surged 326 limbs in just six months, up from 422 in all of 2024, and there's no end in sight.
02:22Sometimes the requirement was at 506 limbs in Brazil ...
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