February 2009

Weekend

February 26th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
Weekend
On weekends, it’s a bit more calm here: The team is not leaving Dungu, but only visiting the local hospital where MSF is taking care of the patients who have been transferred from the villages. Though it’s weekend, the team is busy writing weekly reports. I am writing my articles for the MSF Websites and the [...]

Visiting international journalists

February 20th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
Visiting international journalists
One week after my departure I see my bag again that Jean, the pilot, brought me from Bunia. The Nutella glass has not survived the trip despite the good wrapping and went directly to the trash. I am happy to have my own clothes now though I got used already to the old and baggy [...]

Clinic on two wheels

February 18th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
Clinic on two wheels
Today I am going with our mobile hospital unit to Ambitiko – that’s a 18 km motorcycle ride across the bush, lasting a good hour. In total, five motorcycles are on their way: the two Clémentines, the Congolese nurses, two assistants, the drivers and I. Between walls of clay and under a roof of thatch, [...]

Doruma

February 17th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
Doruma
Now, it’s definitely too late to be sceptical about small airplanes: We are on the flight to Dungu, far away in the North East of the DRC. With me on board the logisticians Xavier and Jan. Our carrier today is MAF, an airline operated by protestant missionaries, as I find out on board. The pilots [...]

Visit to the Hospital „Bon Marché“

February 16th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
Visit to the Hospital „Bon Marché“
The day starts with bad news: my bag has finally arrived in Entebbe but has not been given to the MSF colleagues who were in the same machine. This means that I will continue travelling “light” tomorrow. First, this really annoys me, but there is also an advantage to it: I have to go to [...]

Impressions from Bunia

February 15th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
A quiet day. Singings from a nearby church wake me up. Our compound, which houses only the members of the emergency team, is empty except Ghislaine from Montreal and me. Ghislaine came back yesterday from an exploratory mission lasting several days in the north. She has ten hours drive on Congolese roads in her bones [...]

Travelling to Bunia

February 14th, 2009
Blogs, Irene
Contrary to expectations I’m already back at Entebbe airport. My local colleagues managed to get hold of a seat for me in an earlier flight to Bunia. The city which is located near the shores of Lake Albert is the capital of the eastern Congolese province of Ituri. MSF has been present here for a [...]

48 hours around Kayna – Medical teams constantly dealing with emergencies

February 13th, 2009
News
48 hours around Kayna – Medical teams constantly dealing with emergencies
Relentlessly dealing with emergencies caused by direct violence or severe medical conditions, local health practitioners often work with  little means and in areas of insecurity.  In some cases health centres have been looted and health workers have had to flee fighting and violence. The following pictures are a glimpse into the everyday reality health personnel in [...]

Taking Refuge in Uganda as Conflict Rages in Democratic Republic of Congo

February 13th, 2009
Eyewitness
Taking Refuge in Uganda as Conflict Rages in Democratic Republic of Congo
Civilians fleeing to Uganda to escape the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are afraid to go back, fearing violence, massacres and forced enrollment in the military or armed groups. The little news they receive from relatives who remain there reinforces their belief that it is not safe to return. The following are testimonies [...]

DRC-Masisi: Landslides kill ten in the camp for displaced person

February 13th, 2009
News
On Wednesday 4 February, in Masisi town, North Kivu, a landslide hit a displaced persons camp killing eight people. The majority of victims are young children although two teenagers also died. Just days earlier, another landslide killed two children. In addition to the terrible loss of life, the mudslide destroyed dozens of huts sheltering some of the [...]
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