I met Amara earlier this week in the office of a local grassroots organization in Borno state’s capital, Maiduguri. Amara, a pretty, cherub-faced girl, was accompanied by her mother with whom she had been reunited just six weeks prior, after a one year-long separation. Their separation was not voluntary. Over a year ago, Amara had…
The Ones That Got Away
Since 2009, Boko Haram insurgents have been terrorizing civilians in northeastern Nigeria. The group gained international notoriety when they abducted hundreds of girls from a school in Chibok, in Borno State, and over the years has abducted thousands of men, women, boys, and girls to use as soldiers and sex slaves. An estimated two million…
Nigeria’s Forgotten Crisis
I am in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, and the home to approximately 1.6 million people who have been displaced by the terrorist group Boko Haram. For the past few days, I have been meeting with some of those displaced, and hearing their stories of the attacks that forced them to flee.
Women and Girls Failed: The Burundian Refugee Response in Tanzania
The crisis in Burundi has forced the flight of more than 220,000 refugees, half of whom are female.
Burundi’s Once and Future Refugees
Being forced to flee your home is a life-altering experience. Packing a bag, bidding farewell to your land and livelihood, and leading your children into the unknown – all of this can indelibly divide a life history into ‘before’ and ‘after.’ Many people never get over the trauma of flight, and never give up hope…
“What Will Happen to Me?”
We are in the refugee camp of Touloum in eastern Chad and the sun is bright. The camp is surrounded by desert for miles in every direction. It is quiet in the camp as we walk through, except for a small group of children who are playing outside and the occasional sound of a donkey…
Congolese Women: What Happened to the Promise to Protect?
The widespread acknowledgement of conflict-related sexual violence in the DRC spurred the international community to act in an unprecedented manner.
Philippines: New Approach to Emergency Response Fails Women and Girls
The response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines is the largest since the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Pakistan floods.