I was ambushed: Female bodaboda rider's struggle to succeed against all odds

Imelda [Photo: Reuters]

Wearing leather leggings under her dress, Imelda Mbambu weaves her motorcycle taxi through the city of Beni in northeast Congo, a handbag slung across her side and a happy customer perched on the back.

Once a farmer, it was the death of Mbambu’s husband ten years ago that forced her to find a new way to support her six children in a city where the majority of people live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 a day. She sank her savings into a red motorbike, known locally as a “boda”, and hit the road.