Makass — James A. Levine

In 2010, Dr. James A. Levine was commissioned by Doctors Without Borders to travel anywhere in the world where they have a station and write about the experience â€" in an effort to give voice to people who would otherwise have none. The novella was published, along with nine other major international authors, in Italian, in the anthology, Dignità, for Doctors Without Borders' 50th anniversary.

Dr. Levine traveled to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he visited AIDS clinics and witnessed the remarkable medical care that's being provided. He almost wrote about that. Until he spent time with some of the people living in the community.

There, he met Paulit, an extraordinary woman who refused to be victimized, a woman whose capacity for love will be an inspiration to all. Paulit, through a translator, told Dr. Levine about her life and how she came to live and thrive in this particular community in Kinshasa. Though she's endured unspeakable trauma, Paulit's story is one of survival, hope and the powerful promise of a brighter future.

Now, for the first time in English - this is her true story.