Extending her annual trip to work with traditional midwives in Kenya, Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Dr Elaine Dietsch has returned from the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo. In an attempt to raise awareness of the plight of Congolese women and girls, Dr Dietsch has brought back stories of strength, courage and mere survival. An estimated three million plus people have died during a five-year regional conflict centred on the resource rich African nation. “The women I met in the South Kivu province requested their stories of war, sexual assault, torture, illness and malnutrition be shared with Australians,” said Dr Dietsch, who is a senior midwifery and nursing lecturer at CSU’s School of Clinical Sciences in Wagga Wagga. She is willing to share this international humanitarian issue with adults in the Riverina community through interviews and speaking engagements with groups, clubs, churches, community and professional organisations.