What does it mean to carry a household on your own—every day, without pause?

In this third chapter of Marie’s oral history, we move into the structure of her daily life in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not as a single moment of crisis, but as a system of responsibilities that repeat, accumulate, and rarely ease.

Marie describes what it means to raise three children as the sole provider. Her days begin before sunrise with housework, and unfold into a constant search for income—through training sessions, community work, and basket-making. Some days bring small earnings. Others bring none. But the routine continues, because it has to.

She speaks about the absence of shared responsibility—how roles that are often divided between two people now rest on one. Work, childcare, caregiving, financial planning, and decision-making all move through her. Even relationships are shaped by this reality, as offers of support often come without acceptance of her children.

Her story also opens into the systems that sustain survival. Informal savings groups. Short-term NGO contracts. Skills learned in fragments—eight days of training that became a livelihood. These are not safety nets. They are adaptations.

What emerges is not a single hardship, but a pattern: work that is unstable, support that is conditional, and a life that must keep moving despite both.

Marie’s voice brings us close to the everyday structure of survival—where nothing is guaranteed, but everything depends on her continuing.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

00:39 Daily Life as a Single Mother07:51Work, Income, and Survival19:08 Childcare and Care Burden22:18 Housing and Living with Your Aunt26:54 Documents, Financial, and Digital Access34:29 Feeding and Adaptation Strategy35:30 Health, Security, and Violence46:16 Faith, Dignity, and Community Life01:00:25 Community, Leadership, and Voice

Why This Story Matters

Across contexts of conflict and economic instability, female heads of household are often expected to sustain families without consistent support, protection, or recognition.

Marie’s story reflects a broader reality: survival is not only about access to aid, but about the daily labor required to hold a household together when systems are uncertain or unavailable.

Her experience highlights how women build continuity in environments where stability is not guaranteed—through work, community knowledge, and persistence.

Listening to her expands our understanding of what it means to “cope.” Not as a temporary state, but as a long-term condition shaped by responsibility.

About The Archive Speaks

The Archive Speaks documents oral histories of displaced women and female heads of households. These stories are preserved as they are told—without interpretation, without alignment—so that lived experiences remain visible in their own terms.