Faida was born in Bukavu into a family of 5 children. She is the fourth child of 3 boys and 2 girls. Faida came into Lubumbashi in 2009 with her uncle, running away from the civil war in Bukavu after losing her parents by the age of 8.

When Faida first came to Lubumbashi, things seemed to be okay, and one of her father’s relatives gave them shelter for a year. Her problems started when they had to get a house somewhere else and pay rent. Her uncle did not have a job, so there was no food on the table, and his wife was complaining everyday as she was no longer happy to have Faida and her younger brother staying with them. The auntie started accusing them of witchcraft. According to the uncle’s wife, the two young children were the root cause of all the problems in the family.

One day Faida was sent to buy cooking oil at the market, but she decided to go somewhere else by using the money for transportation. Without knowing where she was going, Faida took a bus which was going to Kasumbalesa. She spent three days in the market and started working in the market restaurant, where her presence attracted men. From there, she was coerced into going out with these different men, and Faida began to spend lots of time with friends on the street that did the same. For the group of friends, it was normal and they also taught her how to also steal money from men and market shoppers.

According to Faida, one day she was so lucky because she managed to steal 50.000Fc (the equivalent of $32 USD) from a man who wanted to spend a night with her. While the man was asleep, Faida went out of the hotel room and ran away. On that same night, she took a transport and travelled back to Lubumbashi. At this point she did not know that she was pregnant and could not identify the father.

She stayed in the market with her friend until she gave birth and started coming to Kimbilio with her baby. She did not give Kimbilio staff her uncle’s address because she was unsure of it (she left in 2011), and she was worried about how they would treat her if she were to return.