By: Ghana web

Maman Soki is among a small group of Congolese women undertaking heavy mining work for survival. She was forced to flee her home in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in April after an attack by Islamic State-aligned rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed her daughter and her sister.

Soki now works at the Pangoyi gold mine alongside two other women, lugging 30 kg sacks of debris up a muddy slope for a few dollars a day to feed the four children in her care. She now cares for her sister's two small children and her orphaned grandson.

"Sometimes we want to enter the pits to dig, but we're told women aren't allowed," Soki said. "That's why we always carry the already-dug sand for processing."

In Congo, mining is traditionally dominated by men, but women are often driven to undertake the back-breaking work to survive. Women in mining often face discrimination and harassment by male colleagues and perform lower-paying tasks.

Soki hopes to save enough to open a small food store and leave mining behind, but there is little left over after paying for the children's food, school fees, and expenses.

"We worry for her safety when she goes to Pangoyi," her 12-year-old son, Muhindo Obed, said. The threat of violence remains; ADF rebels have continued deadly attacks on civilians in the region.