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Tag ‘Africa’

International Women’s Day

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Dear friends,

Today is International Women’s Day. As we celebrate our mothers and daughters, as we pay tribute to the important achievements of women scientists and artists, leaders and activists, this is also an occasion to reaffirm our resolve to help the billions of women who face tremendous risks and enjoy few opportunities.

I am spending this International Women’s Day with women in Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of Congo, who do face tremendous risks: poverty, violence, mass rapes, lacking development, poor healthcare and education. But they also an example of resilience and courage which can inspire us all. Read the full entry

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Smiling faces, suffering people

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012


I have just visited an extraordinary market on a muddy hillside in South Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Thousands of men and women queued to buy everything from transistor radios to corrugated sheet roofing. The atmosphere was festive – I even danced! – and warm-hearted.

It was all the more remarkable to see smiling animated faces among people who have suffered so much. Read the full entry

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A lesson of our world’s fragility – my impressions from Brazzaville

Monday, March 5th, 2012

I am just back from Brazzaville, where I walked through the ruins of Mpila. This was the densely populated neighbourhood which took the brunt of the massive explosions which rocked the Congolese Republic’s capital on Sunday.

The scenes of devastation were dramatic. Houses had collapsed like decks of cards, destroying everything and everybody within. People were gathering up what personal belongings they could salvage. Read the full entry

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First reaction to the Brazzaville disaster

Sunday, March 4th, 2012


When I boarded a flight Sunday morning for Kinshasa I was receiving the first news of explosions rocking Brazzaville, the capital of Congo. By the time I arrived, the news had got a lot worse: reports that hundreds of people had died and many more were injured by what was being reported as an accident at a military munitions dump.

The explosions were so huge they even rocked areas of Kinshasa, separated by six kilometres of the Congo River from Brazzaville.

My deepest sympathies go out to all those killed, injured and affected by these terrible events. I am closely following how this develops and looking at how we can help as quickly and urgently as possible.

It’s late here and the full picture won’t be revealed until tomorrow but I am terribly concerned to hear that among the victims were people at a hospital and a church, where a mass was being celebrated.

It’s another terrible reminder that disasters, man-made and natural, can strike at any time and when least expected. My heart goes out to all those caught up in this dreadful disaster.

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Chad’s silent children – the sad face of malnutrition

Saturday, January 21st, 2012


In the city of Mao in Kanem province in Chad, there is a hospital we fund where the sound of silence on the children’s ward is chilling.

It’s strange to be with children who are so quiet. In the intensive care ward where they are treating babies for severe acute malnutrition there are fifteen mothers with their young children. In a few months time this number will soar but I am certain that the oppressive silence will remain the same. Read the full entry

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The mothers of Niger

Thursday, January 19th, 2012


I met Rahi Harouna when she was making an important life decision – and getting moral support from what many may regard as a surprising source.

Rahi, a 38-year-old mother of five children, was at a health centre run by the aid agency Concern and funded by the European Commission in the village of Bambey, Niger. Read the full entry

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Hoping for calm

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

The political dispute in the Ivory Coast has spilled over into violence. A new crisis is looming in West Africa and Ivorians, international peacekeepers and humanitarian workers are all at risk. Another danger is a refugee crisis, as some 11 thousand people are already streaming into neighbouring countries, mainly Liberia.

What will tomorrow bring? I hope that good sense will prevail and a step back to normality and calm will be made. But while hoping for the best we also need to prepare for the worst. Today the European Commission decided to dispatch 5 million EUR in emergency aid. The funds will help meet refugees’ urgent needs, such as food, drinking water and shelter.

Together with my colleagues at the Commission, I will be on alert over the next days in case new humanitarian needs arise. I will keep you posted on our next steps. As we come close to the holidays, I pray for peace – everywhere. This is the very best wish for 2011 for the Ivory Coast as well.

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Hope and worry on the calendar

Friday, December 10th, 2010

As the year draws to a close, a question I often get from journalists is what I expect will be the biggest challenges for 2011. Considering the nature of my work, this is not an easy question, as disasters often happen without prior warning.

Yet, an easily predictable challenge for next year is Sudan. As the referendum for independence in Southern Sudan nears, so is the expectation that it will mark the first big task the world will face in 2011.

This referendum is a momentous event in the history of Africa, and we all hope it will offer a peaceful, democratic and long-term solution to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Read the full entry

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