Jerome Jean-Claude Amani, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, waits for his prosthetic leg at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Photos of an orthopedic center in Congo that helps amputees regain mobility
GOMA, Congo (AP) — Fighting has long battered Congo’s mineral-rich east, displacing some 7 million people in the conflict that is one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Many have lost their limbs.
In comes the Shirika la Umoja, an orthopedic center on the front line of the conflict in Goma, which produces prosthetics for the wounded despite an overwhelming surge of casualties.
The center, supported by the Red Cross and run by the Catholic church, has treated over 800 amputees since early 2025. It struggles with limited resources as workers craft artificial limbs one by one to help amputees regain their mobility.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Jerome Jean-Claude Amani, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, tries his prosthetic leg at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Faustin Amani, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, poses for a photo at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Jerome Jean-Claude Amani, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, poses for a photo at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Patrick Mauka, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, poses for a photo at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Protectics are manufactured by hand at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Protectics are manufactured by hand at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)A victim of fighting in the region, waits for physiotherapy at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Physiotherapist Gisèle Kantu, bottom right, works with amputees wounded by fighting in the region, at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Physiotherapist Gisèle Kantu, center, works with amputees wounded by fighting in the region, at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Jerome Jean-Claude Amani, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, receives his prothetic leg from Julienne Paypay, an amputee herself since the age of 6, at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Amputees, many wounded by fighting in the region, exercise at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Amputes, many wounded by fighting in the region, exercise at an orthopedic center run by the Catholic church and supported by Red Cross in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Melissa Amuli, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, walks in her neighborhood to exercise in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)Melissa Amuli, one of many wounded by fighting in the region, sits in her home in Goma, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
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