Tangomo Tansia is a hero. The volunteer health worker delivers precious polio vaccines via canoe to communities in locations far from his home in Kikwit, in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He recalls an incident when, on a journey 135 km away in Bandundu, he lost his bike, bag, and almost drowned when the overloaded canoe transporting him came close to capsizing. 

“That was the scariest experience of my life,” he says. 

But keeping a tight grip on the vaccine box, he was able to salvage it.

“I was happy because I didn’t lose it,” he says. “When we regained control of the canoe, I carried on the journey with the vaccines, and they were used in that polio campaign.”

As a proud member of his volunteer corps, Tansia is committed to ensuring that enough children in DRC are vaccinated to protect the whole population against polio.

“We are a bridge between the population and the health centre,” he says. “It’s our duty to contribute to the well-being of our community.”

With many thanks to Tangomo for sharing his story.