Fiona Lloyd-Davies

In the cobalt mining areas of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), babies are being born with horrific birth defects. Scientists and doctors are finding increasing evidence of environmental pollution from industrial mining which, they believe, may be the cause of a range of malformations from cleft palate to some so serious the baby is stillborn. More than 60% of the world’s reserves of cobalt are in the DRC and this mineral is essential for the production of electric car batteries, which may be the key to reducing carbon emissions and to slowing climate change. In The Cost of Cobalt we meet the doctors treating the children affected and the scientists who are measuring the pollution. Cobalt may be part of the global solution to climate change, but is it right that Congo’s next generation pay the price with their health? Many are hoping that the more the world understands their plight, the more pressure will be put on the industry here to clean up its act.

In a corner of Eastern Congo one woman puts herself at risk everyday to help thousands of Congolese rape survivors embark on a journey of healing. Seeds of Hope tells the story of Masika, herself the victim of multiple rapes, who runs a centre that helps other rape survivors and children born from rape come to terms with what they have lived through. The women and children farm a small patch of land together that provides them with an income, a sense of stability and a form of therapy. However, the battle against endemic rape is far from over. Filmed over two years, Seeds of Hope takes us deep into the lives of women and children rarely seen.