‘One day I was sitting on the balcony looking at the birds chirping away and I said: “God, how can you take care of the birds and not me?” In that instant I remembered there are 24 hours a day – sitting in depression with your curtains closed, no-one’s going to give you back those 24 hours. Before you know, it’s a week, a month, a year wasted away. That was a tough reality.’
She thought she could never marry again after enduring such pain, but a friend, Tonny Gobanga, kept visiting and talking and finally she realised she had fallen for him.
They decided to get married, even though some of his family opposed it because of what had happened to her.
‘It was three years after my first wedding, and I was very scared. When we were exchanging vows, I thought: “Here I am again Father, please don’t let him die.” As the congregation prayed for us I cried uncontrollably.’
Then a year later, when she was feeling unwell, she was astonished to be told she was pregnant and they now have two daughters, Tehille and Towdah.
She published her story in a book, Crawling out of Darkness, and set up an organisation, Kara Olmurani, offering counselling and support to rape survivors.
