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Visiting refugee camps in Ethiopia


March 16, 2011
By George Rupp

Everywhere we went in the Shimelba refugee camp, we were greeted warmly by young children.  

Photo: Sophia Jones-Mwangi/IRC

Shimelba refugee camp

  • George Rupp and IRC staff at Shimelba refugee camp, Ethiopia
  • We had a warm welcome from the staff in Shimelba.
  • It’s always important for me to meet with IRC staff, to hear their concerns and to also express my appreciation for all the hard work they are doing -- often in very challenging circumstances.
  • Shimelba camp is a vibrant community with small shops and cafes. People are making the best of their lives here.
  • The IRC is providing clean water to more than 8,000 refugees in Shimelba
  • Everywhere we went in the camp, we were greeted warmly by young children.
  • A part of Shimelba refugee camp with the primary school in the background. The school is supported by the IRC
  • Another view of Shimelba and its thatch-roofed houses.
Launch Slideshow

IRC president George Rupp describes his March 2011 visit to the Shimelba refugee camp.  The camp was the first stop on a journey through Ethiopia's northwestern Tigray region,  where the IRC's work  focuses on children, women, health, water and sanitation.  

All IRC Slideshows >
All Ethiopia Slideshows >

Shimelba refugee camp

  • George Rupp and IRC staff at Shimelba refugee camp, Ethiopia
  • We had a warm welcome from the staff in Shimelba.
  • It’s always important for me to meet with IRC staff, to hear their concerns and to also express my appreciation for all the hard work they are doing -- often in very challenging circumstances.
  • Shimelba camp is a vibrant community with small shops and cafes. People are making the best of their lives here.
  • The IRC is providing clean water to more than 8,000 refugees in Shimelba
  • Everywhere we went in the camp, we were greeted warmly by young children.
  • A part of Shimelba refugee camp with the primary school in the background. The school is supported by the IRC
  • Another view of Shimelba and its thatch-roofed houses.
Launch Slideshow

IRC president George Rupp describes his March 2011 visit to the Shimelba refugee camp.  The camp was the first stop on a journey through Ethiopia's northwestern Tigray region,  where the IRC's work  focuses on children, women, health, water and sanitation.  

All IRC Slideshows >
All Ethiopia Slideshows >

I have been spending the last few days visiting refugee camps in northern Ethiopia with my wife Nancy, International Rescue Committee (IRC) board member Allen Moore, and the IRC’s country director in Ethiopia, David Murphy.  It is very important for me to come to the field and I try as often as I can to visit programs both internationally and in the United States. 

It has now been five years since I was last in Ethiopia and it was timely to pay another visit. I enjoy meeting IRC staff and I am excited about seeing our programs. I also think my colleagues in the field are excited to see me too.

On my last visit, I viewed our programs in Ethiopia’s Somali region. This year I visited northwestern Tigray, where the IRC has been working with Eritrean refugees since 2001, focusing on health, environmental health, child and youth protection and development, and women’s protection and empowerment. It’s a very different area of the country and I’m delighted to have a chance to see it.

As always, I’m very impressed with the IRC’s staff and the outstanding work they are doing under very challenging circumstances.

Day 2 >>

 

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1 comment

Comments

Good pictures from northern

Submitted by Eirmyas (not verified) on March 18, 2011 - 5:09pm.

Good pictures from northern Ethiopia Camps! proud to be IRC's staff in Shimelbaaaaaaaa! WOW

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