The Volcano, the Exploding Lake, and How Dawn Hurley ‘95 Fell in Love with Congo

Canterbury’s Saints Off the Hill series offers insights, advice, and remarkable stories from the School’s vibrant community of alumni. On February 26, Dawn Hurley ‘95 spoke with students about her experiences living in Congo. What began as a leap into the unknown became a calling—one rooted not in fear, but in friendship and love for a community determined to endure.

“No matter what you know about Congo,” she told students, “you probably know more than I did when I decided to move there.”

Naturally, Dawn turned to Google to learn about the place she would call home for three years, and at first, she was encouraged. The dense city was situated at the base of a beautiful, solitary mountain on the shores of a picturesque lake. But as she continued her research, she grew concerned. That solitary mountain was actually an active volcano that had devastated a third of Goma only years earlier. The lake, while free of crocodiles, had methane deposits at the bottom that could explode under the right conditions. 

“But the minute I crossed into Congo, I fell in love,” she said. 

She also realized that while Goma lived in relative safety, the reality of the Second Congo War weighed heavily on the minds of the city’s residents.

“I started listening to my friends—Argentine, Mapendo, Riziki, and Solange— talk about their lives,” she said. “They all live with disabilities that require crutches, which had made fleeing the rebels to get to Goma difficult. It also made it hard for them to earn a living. I kept thinking, ‘How do I live in this world where some people have the opportunities I’ve had, and others have had the challenges they’ve faced?’ It didn’t seem fair.”

Dawn didn’t have an answer, but she continued to listen to her friends. She realized a way she might be able to help them. All four women were skilled seamstresses. 

“I asked them, ‘Would you try sewing a bag? I think there would be a market for them in the U.S. and I could bring that money back to Congo.’”

Shona Congo—a sewing collective featuring the friends’ work—was born.  Over the years, Argentine, Mapendo, Riziki, and Solange continued to make bags, aprons, and more that Dawn would help to sell all over the world. But within a year of Dawn returning to the United States, disaster struck. The rebels had descended upon the city.

With difficulty on unpaved roads, the women fled their homes, babies on their backs and sewing machines in their arms. After years of living in refugee camps, Argentine and Mopendo relocated to Canada. Solange and Raziki returned to Goma. All four women continue to earn money through Shona Congo, and all four face unique, enormous challenges. 

“I can see them asking that same question I used to ask: how do I live in this world?” Dawn said. “I feel Argentine and Mopendo wonder how they can live safely in Canada when their families endure another war. Riziki and Solange live in an occupied Goma: they don't know if it's safe to go outside. But I try to remember how I felt when I moved there: that instant love I felt. Congo, and its people, are more than the problems they face.”

Dawn is the co-author of The Place Between Our Fears, which she co-wrote with Mapendo Ndongotsi and Argentine Imanirakunda, and Walk with Me, which she co-wrote with Imanirakunda.