The Archive Speaks

The Refugee Archive Team

From war zones to resettlement camps, from data to diaries, this podcast brings the archive to life. The Refugee Archive is a nonprofit organization and global center dedicated to preserving and amplifying the voices of refugee women leading households. Featuring refugee women, scholars, and archivists, it champions the power of voice, the preservation of memory, and the stories that shape policy, hearts, and minds. therefugeearchive.substack.com

  1. 2d ago

    The Terrifying Night That Changed Her Life Forever - Nigeria: Yvonne Part 2 | Ep 32

    After earning her nursing degree and starting a new life working in Thailand, 26-year-old Yvonne believed she was stepping into a chapter of security and freedom. But when personal choices, cultural expectations, and political unrest collide, her life is radically rewritten overnight. In this second chapter of Yvonne’s oral history, she recounts the crushing social stigma she faced upon returning to Cameroon as a single mother. The public shame forced her into isolation within her own community, but an even greater threat was lurking. Joining what she believed was a peaceful Independence Day march in her village, Yvonne was suddenly marked by local authorities as a political activist. Warned by a friendly officer that her name was on an arrest list, Yvonne was forced to make an impossible choice. When soldiers descended on her compound at night and burned her family’s homes to ashes, Yvonne’s mother handed her a six-month-old baby, a small bundle of cash, and a heartbreaking directive: leave, run, and do not come back. Facing total displacement, Yvonne begins a dangerous journey into Nigeria as a penniless refugee. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:31 Life in Thailand and an Unexpected Decision02:15 The Stigma of Single Motherhood in Her Village04:25 Participating in the Peaceful October 1st March05:42 The Tipped-Off Warning and Midnight Gunfire08:06 Houses in Ashes: Her Mother’s Final Choice Why This Story Matters Yvonne's testimony shows how quickly safety can collapse in times of political turmoil, and how female heads of household often carry the double burden of social stigma and forced displacement. Her story is also part of The Refugee Archive's broader approach to participatory and community-based research. By documenting lived experience directly, oral histories can contribute to Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), Community Engagement & Accountability (CEA), perception and feedback research, humanitarian policy and systems research, localization and locally led accountability, and evidence-to-action.The Archive preserves these experiences not only as historical records, but as sources of actionable knowledge that can help researchers, humanitarian organizations, policymakers, and communities better understand the hidden, gendered realities of displacement and flight. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks preserves oral histories from displaced women and female heads of households around the world.These stories are shared in women’s own words, without political alignment or editorial interference, so that lived experiences shaped by conflict, displacement, and survival remain part of the historical record. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

    The Terrifying Night That Changed Her Life Forever - Nigeria: Yvonne Part 2 | Ep 32
  2. Sep 24

    What Happened to Her at 9 Years Old Shocked an Entire Village - Nigeria: Yvonne Part 1 | Ep 31

    Before she became a humanitarian and a refugee in Nigeria, Yvonne was a young girl growing up in Kuke Mbomo, Cameroon, in a family where caring for others was simply part of everyday life. In this first chapter of Yvonne’s oral history, she takes us back to her childhood in a large polygamous household where more than 20 people shared one compound. She remembers village life, her family’s cocoa farm, and watching her mother feed and support people around her — including Nigerian workers and tenants. For Yvonne, those early experiences became the roots of her commitment to humanitarian service. But her childhood also carried experiences she kept hidden for years. Yvonne speaks candidly about surviving sexual violence as a child and the fear, isolation, and lasting impact that followed. She also reflects on how education, faith, and leadership helped her gradually find her voice and sense of purpose.Her path eventually took her to the University of Yaoundé II to study law, where she faced the challenge of studying in French despite coming from Cameroon’s English-speaking region. After her father’s death, her mother’s advice led her in another direction — toward nursing. She went on to earn her nursing qualifications and later worked in schools and hospitals in Thailand.This is the beginning of Yvonne’s story — a story about the people and experiences that shaped her long before displacement, and the values she would carry with her into the life she leads today. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:00 Growing Up in a Large Family in Cameroon01:00 The Mother Who Taught Her to Serve03:22 A Childhood Trauma She Kept Secret06:00 Finding Strength Through Leadership and Faith07:38 From Law to Nursing09:37 A New Chapter Begins Why This Story Matters Yvonne’s story reminds us that a commitment to service often begins with the values we learn at home and the communities that shape us. Her experiences show how personal histories can offer valuable insights into the realities of displacement, the importance of community support, and the role of care and solidarity in people’s lives. By documenting stories like Yvonne’s, The Refugee Archive contributes to Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and Community Engagement & Accountability (CEA) by creating space for displaced people to share their experiences, perspectives, and concerns in their own words. These testimonies can inform perception and feedback research, and contribute to humanitarian policy and systems research that takes lived experience seriously. At the heart of this work is a commitment to localization and locally led accountability—recognizing that people affected by displacement are not simply recipients of humanitarian assistance, but knowledge holders whose voices should help shape the decisions that affect their lives. By connecting these experiences to research and practice, The Refugee Archive supports evidence-to-action, helping ensure that the realities of displaced communities are heard, understood, and considered in humanitarian responses. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks preserves oral histories from displaced women and female heads of households around the world.These stories are shared in women’s own words, without political alignment or editorial interference, so that lived experiences shaped by conflict, displacement, and survival remain part of the historical record. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

    What Happened to Her at 9 Years Old Shocked an Entire Village - Nigeria: Yvonne Part 1 | Ep 31
  3. Sep 6

    Ep 30 | Madeleine's Story Part 3 – Uganda: Life Saving Marriage

    "Every single day is a battle to survive." Madeleine is a Congolese refugee and single mother living in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, where she is raising three boys on her own. In this chapter of her oral history, she describes the daily struggle of finding work, securing food, caring for her children, and trying to keep them in school.Most mornings, Madeleine completes her household chores before going into the fields to collect firewood. She then heads to the Somali quarter of the settlement to look for casual work washing clothes and cleaning houses. But work is never guaranteed. Some days, she waits alongside many other women and eventually returns home empty-handed.Her situation is made more difficult by her children's health needs. Madeleine describes caring for her eldest son, who has severe long-term complications following an attack he experienced after the family arrived in the settlement. Her youngest son also has chronic health problems that sometimes make it impossible for her to leave home to work.Madeleine says she is usually selected for casual work only two or three times a week. On a typical working day, she may earn around 5,000 Ugandan shillings, while in a good month she estimates that her combined income from casual work and church support can reach around 300,000 shillings. Much of that goes immediately toward food and her children's basic needs.She has also tried to find more stable employment and hopes to earn an income through skills she already has in hairdressing and nail technology. But without the money or equipment needed to start, those skills remain difficult to turn into a livelihood.Beyond work and food, Madeleine speaks about childcare, housing, safety, education, documentation, and access to humanitarian services. She describes the difficult choices she faces when she has to leave her children at home to search for work.She also shares allegations of corruption, discrimination, and barriers to medical referrals and refugee resettlement. These accounts are presented as Madeleine's personal experiences and observations.Despite everything, Madeleine's hope remains centered on her children.She wants them to stay in school, gain an education, and eventually build a future beyond poverty and displacement.This is Madeleine's story from Nakivale, Uganda. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:00 Life as a Single Mother in Nakivale03:00 Her Son's Health and a Traumatic Attack10:00 Finding Work and Surviving Day to Day18:00 Child Safety, Food, and Healthcare35:00 What Single Mothers Need Most Why This Story Matters Madeleine’s story begins with displacement, but it does not begin with the moment she became a refugee. Her testimony shows how the experiences that precede displacement—losing parents, interrupted education, domestic work, economic vulnerability, and the search for stability—can shape the decisions young women make throughout their lives. By listening to Madeleine’s story from its beginning, we can better understand the life that existed before displacement and the circumstances that eventually brought her to Uganda as a refugee. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks is an oral history series from The Refugee Archive, documenting the lived experiences of displaced women and female-headed households around the world. Each testimony is preserved as part of a wider record of displacement, conflict, caregiving, motherhood, and survival, allowing women to tell their stories in their own words. Tags: Uganda refugees, Congolese refugees in Uganda, Nakivale Refugee Settlement, refugee women, women and displacement, female-headed households, DRC refugees, South Kivu, Bukavu, Goma, Rutshuru, refugee oral history, African oral history, women in conflict, displacement stories, The Archive Speaks, The Refugee Archive. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 30 | Madeleine's Story Part 3 – Uganda: Life Saving Marriage
  4. Sep 4

    Ep 29 | Madeleine's Story Part 2 – Uganda: Life Saving Marriage

    Madeleine walked by foot from Goma to the Settlement in Uganda… In Part 2 of Madeleine's oral history, a Congolese refugee currently living in Uganda recounts the night armed men attacked her village in Rutshuru, North Kivu, and set her home on fire.Madeleine was already a mother of two when the attack happened. In the chaos, she escaped carrying her one-year-old baby, only to realize that her four-year-old son was still inside the burning house. Other people fleeing with her returned and found him badly burned, carrying him out to safety.The family fled to a Catholic church, where they spent about a week sleeping on concrete floors alongside other displaced families. Her injured son needed medical attention, while the family survived with help from church workers, volunteers, and humanitarian organizations.With the violence continuing, Madeleine made the decision to leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With very little money, she and her children walked for approximately two days toward Uganda. The journey was exhausting and terrifying, and they encountered dead bodies along the road.At the border, Madeleine told officials she needed to take her injured child to Uganda for medical treatment. When they saw the severity of his burns, they allowed the family to cross.The family eventually arrived at the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, where Madeleine's son received medical treatment. But arriving in a place of safety brought a new set of challenges. She was given a small plot of land and basic materials to build a shelter, but as a single mother without her husband, constructing a home was extremely difficult.Madeleine describes the poverty and hunger she experienced in Nakivale, as well as the difficulty of paying school fees for her children. By 2019, desperation for food and education led her into a relationship with another Congolese refugee who promised to support her family. She became pregnant with her third child, but the father abandoned her.The pregnancy brought another devastating chapter: Madeleine and the child's father tested positive for HIV. She ultimately became a single mother of three while managing her own health and caring for her children in the refugee settlement.This is Madeleine's journey from violence in eastern DRC to refuge in Uganda—and the beginning of her life as a single mother in Nakivale. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:00 The Attack: Madeleine's Home Is Set on Fire03:00 Fleeing to the Border With Her Children07:00 Crossing Into Uganda and Seeking Medical Treatment10:00 Life Begins in Nakivale Refugee Settlement13:00 Hunger, Pregnancy, and Becoming a Single Mother of Three Why This Story Matters Madeleine’s story begins with displacement, but it does not begin with the moment she became a refugee. Her testimony shows how the experiences that precede displacement—losing parents, interrupted education, domestic work, economic vulnerability, and the search for stability—can shape the decisions young women make throughout their lives. By listening to Madeleine’s story from its beginning, we can better understand the life that existed before displacement and the circumstances that eventually brought her to Uganda as a refugee. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks is an oral history series from The Refugee Archive, documenting the lived experiences of displaced women and female-headed households around the world. Each testimony is preserved as part of a wider record of displacement, conflict, caregiving, motherhood, and survival, allowing women to tell their stories in their own words. Tags: Uganda refugees, Congolese refugees in Uganda, Nakivale Refugee Settlement, refugee women, women and displacement, female-headed households, DRC refugees, South Kivu, Bukavu, Goma, Rutshuru, refugee oral history, African oral history, women in conflict, displacement stories, The Archive Speaks, The Refugee Archive. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 29 | Madeleine's Story Part 2 – Uganda: Life Saving Marriage
  5. Aug 24

    Ep 28 | Madeleine's Story Part 1 – Uganda: Life Saving Marriage

    She believed that marriage was her only way out… Madeleine is a Congolese refugee currently living in Uganda. In this first chapter of her oral history, she takes us back to her childhood in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she grew up without her parents and was raised by an elderly woman in Kadutu, Bukavu. Her earliest memories include playing by the lake, attending school, helping care for the woman who raised her, and dreaming of becoming a doctor. For a time, she remembers feeling safe and cared for, even though she did not know what had happened to her parents or whether she had siblings. After the woman became ill and passed away, Madeleine’s circumstances changed. Without a family of her own to rely on, she left Bukavu for Goma at around thirteen, hoping to find work and a better life. Her education was eventually interrupted, and she entered domestic work while still very young. As a teenager, Madeleine experienced increasingly difficult and unsafe working conditions. She eventually began to believe that marriage might offer the stability and protection she could not find elsewhere. She met a young man who delivered milk to the household where she worked, and after months of a secret relationship, she left Goma with him for Rutshuru Center. At around sixteen or seventeen, Madeleine began a new life as a wife. In Rutshuru, she found a caring husband and began building a household of her own, contributing through small businesses while her husband worked selling milk. Today, Madeleine is living as a refugee in Uganda. Her story begins long before displacement, with the childhood, choices, relationships, and circumstances that shaped the woman she would eventually become. This is the beginning of Madeleine’s oral history. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:00 Childhood, Orphanhood, and Life in Bukavu 09:00 Moving to Goma and Starting a New Life 17:00 Marriage, Family, and Violence in Rutshuru 18:00 Childhood Dreams and Education Interrupted 22:00 Domestic Work and Growing Up Too Soon 28:00 Why Madeleine Began Thinking About Marriage 33:00 Leaving Goma and Beginning Married Life in Rutshuru 35:00 Building a Home and Starting a Small Business Why This Story Matters Madeleine’s story begins with displacement, but it does not begin with the moment she became a refugee. Her testimony shows how the experiences that precede displacement—losing parents, interrupted education, domestic work, economic vulnerability, and the search for stability—can shape the decisions young women make throughout their lives. By listening to Madeleine’s story from its beginning, we can better understand the life that existed before displacement and the circumstances that eventually brought her to Uganda as a refugee. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks is an oral history series from The Refugee Archive, documenting the lived experiences of displaced women and female-headed households around the world. Each testimony is preserved as part of a wider record of displacement, conflict, caregiving, motherhood, and survival, allowing women to tell their stories in their own words. Tags: Uganda refugees, Congolese refugees in Uganda, Nakivale Refugee Settlement, refugee women, women and displacement, female-headed households, DRC refugees, South Kivu, Bukavu, Goma, Rutshuru, refugee oral history, African oral history, women in conflict, displacement stories, The Archive Speaks, The Refugee Archive. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 28 | Madeleine's Story Part 1 – Uganda: Life Saving Marriage
  6. Aug 17

    Ep 27 | Merveille's Story Part 4 – DRC: Motherhood Is More Than Giving Birth

    What makes someone a mother? In the final chapter of Merveille’s oral history, she reflects on the years she spent raising her daughter while completing her education, working as a teacher, and navigating the challenges of life in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Merveille first took responsibility for her daughter when the child was six years old. While still a student, she depended on her father’s support before eventually finding part-time teaching work to help cover rent, school fees, food, and other household expenses. Balancing university, employment, childcare, and motherhood left little room for her own needs. She also speaks openly about the judgment she faced. Some people assumed she was a single mother who had given birth outside marriage. Others knew the child was not biologically hers but still questioned why she had chosen to take responsibility for her. Despite the humiliation and rejection she experienced, Merveille continued raising her daughter and supporting her education. Her story also brings attention to the practical challenges facing women who raise children without partners. Merveille describes relying on trusted neighbors when she had to work or attend school, and the difficult decisions that came when her daughter became sick. She argues for affordable childcare, employment opportunities, training, and sustainable income-generating support for women raising children alone. Today, Merveille continues teaching and making doughnuts and cakes to support herself and her daughter. Despite the economic effects of war and the limitations of her income, she remains committed to her daughter’s education and to building a more stable future. At the heart of this final chapter is Merveille’s understanding of motherhood. Her daughter is not biologically hers, but she has cared for her since childhood, supported her education, stayed beside her through illness, and continued providing for her despite enormous challenges. For Merveille, motherhood is not defined by childbirth. It is built through affection, responsibility, sacrifice, education, and the decision to remain present in a child’s life. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:00 Life After University and Raising Her Daughter08:00 Balancing Education, Work, and Motherhood14:00 The Challenges of Raising a Child Without a Partner20:00 Work, Income, and Supporting Her Daughter’s Education25:00 What Motherhood Means to Merveille30:00 Life After War, Hope, and the Future Why This Story Matters Merveille’s story expands the way we understand female-headed households and motherhood. Her experience shows that caregiving can take many forms, and that women may assume parental responsibilities because of family circumstances, poverty, displacement, or the absence of other caregivers. Her testimony also points to the practical support that women need to build stable lives: affordable childcare, education, employment, training, and sustainable opportunities to earn an income. Most importantly, Merveille asks us to look beyond assumptions and understand the circumstances behind every woman who raises a child alone. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks is an oral history series from The Refugee Archive, documenting the lived experiences of displaced women and female-headed households around the world. These testimonies preserve personal memories shaped by conflict, displacement, caregiving, and survival, allowing women to tell their stories in their own words. Tags: DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Merveille's story, Merveille DRC, South Kivu, Goma, Bukavu, motherhood, motherhood without giving birth, female headed households, female headed household, single mothers, women and displacement, women in conflict, women in DRC, oral history, African oral history, displaced women, displacement stories, caregiving, kinship care, raising a child, women resilience, education in conflict, single motherhood, humanitarian storytelling, conflict in eastern Congo, The Archive Speaks, The Refugee Archive, women and war, motherhood and displacement, stories of displaced women This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

  7. Jul 30

    Ep 26 | Merveille's Story Part 3 – DRC: Fleeing Kabutembo

    That time war reached Merveille’s doorstep… In this final chapter of Merveille’s oral history, we follow her through one of the most difficult periods of her life as the M23 offensive reached Goma in early 2025. Living in Kabutembo, near the city’s airport, Merveille had begun building a future through teaching and a small baking business while continuing to support the daughter she had raised as her own. Then, almost overnight, conflict transformed everyday life. As violence spread across North Kivu, businesses closed, prices increased, and thousands of displaced families sought refuge in Goma. Merveille witnessed the growing humanitarian crisis firsthand, visiting camps for internally displaced people and seeing families survive in overcrowded and difficult conditions. When the fighting reached her neighborhood, she and her family spent a week sheltering inside their home as gunfire and explosions echoed around them. Believing they might not survive, they prayed together and prepared for the worst before eventually fleeing on foot to the Himbi neighborhood in search of safety. Displacement interrupted Merveille’s work, separated her from the child she continued to support from a distance, and forced her to rely on the generosity of strangers. Welcomed into another family’s home for two months, she experienced a kindness that continues to shape how she understands community, responsibility, and compassion. Although she eventually returned to Kabutembo, life was no longer the same. Food became harder to afford, economic opportunities disappeared, and rebuilding meant learning how to begin again with far less than before. Merveille’s story is one of conflict and displacement, but it is also a testimony to resilience, faith, hospitality, and the quiet acts of generosity that help people survive even in the midst of war. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:30 Life Before Displacement 09:09 Living Through War: Displacement, Survival, and Return Why This Story Matters Displacement is often described as a single event—the moment someone leaves home. But for many families, displacement continues long after they return. Merveille’s testimony illustrates how conflict reshapes every aspect of daily life: work, education, food security, mobility, and family relationships. It also reminds us that recovery is not simply about returning home. It is about rebuilding routines, restoring livelihoods, and finding hope after profound uncertainty. Her story also highlights an often-overlooked part of humanitarian crises: the role of ordinary people who open their homes, share their food, and offer safety to strangers when institutions cannot meet every need. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks is an oral history series from The Refugee Archive, documenting the lived experiences of displaced women and female-headed households around the world. These oral histories preserve personal memories shaped by conflict, displacement, caregiving, and survival. By recording these testimonies in the speakers’ own words, The Refugee Archive creates a lasting historical record of experiences that are too often overlooked. Tags: Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, Goma, Kabutembo, Himbi, Katana, M23, M23 conflict, eastern Congo, North Kivu, South Kivu, displacement, internally displaced persons, oral history, women in conflict, humanitarian crisis, women and war, resilience, rebuilding after war, refugee stories, The Refugee Archive, The Archive Speaks. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep 26 | Merveille's Story Part 3 – DRC: Fleeing Kabutembo
  8. Jul 17

    Ep 25 | Merveille's Story Part 2 – DRC: A Mother Without Giving Birth

    What makes someone a mother? In this second chapter of Merveille’s oral history from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she reflects on growing into adulthood while unexpectedly becoming the primary caregiver for her older sister’s daughter. What began as a temporary responsibility became a lifelong commitment that reshaped her education, relationships, work, and understanding of family. As Merveille navigates adolescence, she speaks about the women who prepared her for adulthood, the cultural traditions surrounding womanhood in eastern DRC, and the responsibilities that arrived long before she expected them. When conflict displaced her family and her sister left home, Merveille accepted the responsibility of raising a child while continuing her own education. She shares the challenges of balancing university, work, and motherhood, the judgment she faced from people who assumed she was a single mother, and the bond that grew between her and the little girl who came to know her simply as “Mom.” This chapter is not only about caregiving—it is about the many ways motherhood can be formed through love, commitment, and everyday sacrifice. What You’ll Hear in This Episode 00:27 Becoming a Young Woman 07:10 Love, Relationships, and Growing Up 12:32 The Child Who Changed Everything 23:15 Learning to Become a Mother 31:35 Balancing Work, School, and Raising a Child 37:40 What Motherhood Means Today Why This Story Matters Motherhood is often defined by birth. Merveille’s testimony invites us to think about it differently. Her story highlights the experiences of young women who assume parental responsibilities because of family circumstances, conflict, and displacement. It reminds us that caregiving often begins long before adulthood and that families are sometimes held together by people who step forward when no one else can. By listening to Merveille, we gain a deeper understanding of the invisible labor, emotional resilience, and quiet sacrifices that sustain families affected by conflict. About The Archive Speaks The Archive Speaks is an oral history series from The Refugee Archive documenting the lived experiences of displaced women and female heads of households around the world. These oral histories reflect personal memory, shaped by time, trauma, and survival. The Refugee Archive preserves these testimonies without political alignment or editorial interference, ensuring that women can tell their stories in their own words. Tags: Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, South Kivu, Katana, Bukavu, displacement, conflict in eastern Congo, oral history, women in conflict zones, childhood and war, girls’ education, caregiving, internally displaced persons, female-headed households, humanitarian storytelling, African oral history, resilience, education in conflict, women and displacement, The Refugee Archive. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit therefugeearchive.substack.com/subscribe

5
out of 5
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About

From war zones to resettlement camps, from data to diaries, this podcast brings the archive to life. The Refugee Archive is a nonprofit organization and global center dedicated to preserving and amplifying the voices of refugee women leading households. Featuring refugee women, scholars, and archivists, it champions the power of voice, the preservation of memory, and the stories that shape policy, hearts, and minds. therefugeearchive.substack.com