rubaya is reminiscent of wild west gold rush settlements. no electricity, and just a handful of wells to supply water. but the people survive. at least no one goes in fear of their life, and no one seems to go hungry. that's no small feat in one of the poorest countries in the world. mathis lives in a tiny hut here together with his mother and 4 siblings. he makes around 1 euro 70 a day that's all the family has. as the eldest son he's responsible for the family. his mother's unhappy with his efforts though, and complains he's not doing enough. she had to take the smaller children out of school because she couldn't pay the fees. mathis has just worked for 9 hours solid at the mine. he often feels despair. >> it's really hard for me. it's almost impossible to pay the school fees and feed the family. i can't manage both. i've hardly got anything. >> the laws passed in the us and eu may have fended off the rebels, or at least neutralised them. but they haven't led to an improvement in living conditions here. that's one flaw in the legislation.