Don't Miss:
2008 ShootQ Grant Recipient Sherrlyn Borkgren
Forever Changed: Belice's Story
"They put a bag over my head and pulled me into the bushes and the soldiers got me." Belice fought her way free afterwards and ran home over the black lava earth screaming and crying. When her father was able to calm her down, Belice sobbed, "The soldiers got me..." Her father knew exactly what that meant because soldiers have raped eighty percent of the women in their village. Later that month when Belice and her family fled the fighting that overtook their village, soldiers stole every goat that belonged to Belice's family.
The family returned after living in a displaced camp. All that was left where their house had once stood was the earth. Soldiers had dismantled and carried away every plank of wood, every pot and pan and every piece of cloth.
Some in the village fear that because Belice's father appears to be Tutsi with his tall lanky body and sharp features even more prejudice is aimed toward Belice's family. Belice's father says, "In 2006 I voted for Joseph Kabila for president, but now I changed my mind". A dangerous thing to say in the midst of a civil war where thousands have disappeared and more are tortured and detained daily for perceived opposition.
The Eastern Congo is a land bountiful with resources and plentiful in food yet the rape of the land and of women continues to plague this rich country. Corporate aid groups have brought in billions but little seems to change the status of the Congolese who are caught in the middle.
Borkgren's Winning Grant Proposal & Portfolio
Sherrlyn Borkgren received the ShootQ Grant in 2008. She was awarded the grant because her work demonstrated her ability to accomplish such a sensitive project and her proposal was articulate and compelling. The result of her project is "Forever Changed: Belice's Story." To view the images from Sherrlyn's portfolio submission, click the thumbnails below.
