SISTER ANGELIQUE NAMAIKA
- UNHCR Refugee Award -
G'day folks,
Today I feature an amazing human who has won the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award. She is a Congolese nun who has
helped hundreds of female rape and abuse victims of the brutal Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA) and other groups in the remote north-east of DR
Congo - Sister Angelique Namaika.
UNHCR Announces 2013
Nansen Refugee Award Laureate
Geneva, 17 September, 2013 – The Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today announces that this year’s winner of
the Nansen Refugee Award is a Congolese nun who has helped hundreds of female
rape and abuse victims of the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other
groups in the remote north-east of DR Congo.
Her one-on-one approach helps them recover from the trauma and
damage. On top of the abuse they have suffered, these vulnerable women and
girls are often ostracized by their own families and communities because of
their ordeal.
It takes a special kind of care to help them heal and to pick up
the pieces of their lives. Sister Angélique does this by helping them
learn a trade, start a small business or go back to school. Testimonies from
these women show the remarkable effect she has had on helping turn around their
lives, with many affectionately calling her “mother.”
The announcement of the winner coincides with the release of a reportabout life for those displaced by LRA violence. Since
2008, an estimated 320,000 people have been forced to flee in DRC’s Orientale
Province – in some cases several times. The report, produced by UNHCR and the
IDMC (Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre), highlights why LRA violence has
created such severe and long-lasting trauma for both the abductees and the
hundreds of thousands of people still too afraid to return home.
Sister Angélique herself was displaced by the violence in 2009
whilst living in the town of Dungu. She knows the pain of fleeing one’s home.
It is part of what drives her to work day in and day out to reach all those in
need.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres commended
this year’s laureate, “Sister Angélique works tirelessly to help women and
girls who are extremely vulnerable due to their trauma, poverty and
displacement. The challenges are massive, which makes her work all the
more remarkable – she doesn’t allow anything to stand in her way.”
Working in a location where electricity, running water and
paved roads are scarce, Sister Angélique’s work is exceptional. Though she
lacks proper tools and her resources are almost non-existent – Sister Angélique
will not be deterred. She has made it her life’s work to ease the
suffering of these uprooted women and girls – to give them renewed hope for the
future.
Guterres continued, “These women’s lives
have been shattered by brutal violence and displacement. Sister
Angélique has proven that even one person can make a huge difference
in the lives of families torn apart by war. She is a true humanitarian
heroine.”
Responding to the announcement, the new laureate said: “It is
difficult to imagine how much the women and girls abused by the LRA have
suffered. They will bear the scars of this violence for their whole lives. This
award will mean more displaced people in Dungu can get the help they need to
restart their lives. I will never stop doing all I can to give them hope, and
the chance to live again.”
Sister Angélique will receive the Nansen Refugee Award and the
Nansen Medal at a ceremony in Geneva on September 30. The event will feature a
keynote speech from best-selling author Paulo Coelho and musical performances
by British singer-songwriter Dido, Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna and
Grammy-nominated Malian musicians, Amadou and Mariam.
Following the ceremony, Sister Angélique will travel to Rome,
where she will be received at the Vatican by Pope Francis on 2 October before
proceeding to Paris, Brussels and Oslo for other meetings.
About the Nansen Refugee
Award
Established in 1954, the
award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian work on behalf of refugees,
internally displaced or stateless people. The award includes a commemorative
medal and a US$100,000 monetary prize. In close consultation with UNHCR, the
laureate uses the monetary prize to fund a project that compliments their
existing work.
For more information: www.unhcr.org/nansen
The Nansen Refugee Award Ceremony
The Nansen Refugee Award
ceremony is the most visible element of the broader Nansen Refugee Award
programme. The ceremony acts as an advocacy platform which allows UNHCR and its
partners to raise awareness and support for the refugee cause. It not only
provides a forum for informal diplomacy among high-ranking officials, but also
an opportunity to highlight the extraordinary humanitarian work of those who go
beyond the call of duty on behalf of refugees, internally displaced or
stateless people.
The ceremony is underwritten by UNHCR and its partners; the
Swiss and Norwegian governments, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the IKEA
Foundation. The ceremony will be hosted by Isabelle Kumar of Euronews.
Now, check out this short video about Sister Angelique:
Clancy's comment: Again, I have featured another outstanding woman. Don't ya just love excellence. Go, Sister Angelique! Love ya work!
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