Before working on Mama Congo, Soraya Kishtwari was a political journalist based in Parliament, London.

She began her career in political journalism working for The Times of London, before joining the Press Association, the UK’s premier newswire.

She moved to Democratic Republic of Congo in 2015, spending three years living in Kongo Central province (formerly Bas Congo), 300km east of Kinshasa. Having travelled the length and breadth of the country for Mama Congo, Soraya has established a wide network of contacts. Her time spent in Congo has enabled her to gain a more nuanced understanding of the country’s political, economic, and humanitarian challenges. Her most recent trip, in March 2019, involved spending a week in the epicentre of the Ebola crisis in Beni, interviewing a team of survivors-turned-frontline staff, as well as other key health workers. This was followed by a week spent with the wonderful women of the City of Joy, in Bukavu, Kivu, where survivors of sexual violence are offered a 6]-month residency to help them overcome their trauma and regain their sense of self and empowerment. She also had the privilege of meeting and interviewing this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Denis Mukwege, “The Man who Mends Women”.

Soraya has long been interested in highlighting the plight faced by women and is delighted to be able to focus her efforts on these and other humanitarian subjects through her work on Mama Congo.

Although photography is a long-running passion of hers, Mama Congo is her first foray into reportage photography.

Soraya is also a qualified translator and speaks five languages fluently. When she is not travelling on assignment, Soraya can be found in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she currently lives with her family.