Flors Sirera was born in Tremp and lived in Las Palmas where she worked as a nurse at the Escaleritas Health Center. In 1994, she worked at the Mugunga refugee camp, east of Zaire. She was selected by Médecins du Monde, a non-governmental organization, to work in Rwanda due to her high professional qualifications and her previous aid experience. She moved to the African Great Lakes area in November 1996 to participate in an emergency action. She worked alongside doctor Manuel Madrazo from Seville and photographer from Madrid. After completing the mission, she asked to stay in the area to work on a project to assist small hospitals in Africa, and specifically in Rwanda, a country that was in a difficult political and social situation. Trials had just begun for crimes committed during the Rwandan genocide. In early 1997 the country was also still immersed in the First Congo War and gave support to the forces of Laurent-Désiré Kabila.