Crown Princess of Denmark meets South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia

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Crown Princess of Denmark meets South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia

UNHCR, 16 Feb 2015

URL: http://data.unhcr.org/SouthSudan/admin/flash_new.php
Crown Princess of Denmark meets South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia
Tierkidi refugee camp, Ethiopia-16 February 2015
(UNHCR)- The Crown Princess of Denmark, Her Royal Highness Mary Donaldson, visited Tierkidi refugee camp in western Ethiopia, home to nearly 50,000 refugees who fled the on-going conflict in South Sudan. Tierkidi is one of six refugee camps in the Gambella Regional State hosting some 250,000 South Sudanese refugees-a little over 193,000 of them arrived since December 2013.
She visited the newly constructed Youth Centre which was funded by the Government of Denmark and met a group of refugees attending a technical & vocational training managed by UNHCR’s partner the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). She was particularly appreciative of the training project of which she said “It represents hope for the refugees and gives them the skills needed to create a better life for themselves, their families and their country” when they eventually go home.
Accompanied, among others, by Denmark’s Trade and Development Minister, Mogens Jensen, Ambassador Stephan Schoneman, Mr. Ayalew Aweke, Deputy Director of the government refugee agency-ARRA-, Mr Valentin Tapsoba, UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia, as well as Ms. Angele Djohosso, Head of UNHCR’s Sub-Office Gambella, HRH planted a tree inside the youth center and said: “I want someone to send me a picture of this tree flourishing and giving a shade to the refugees”. Also in attendance were Mr. Stig Glent Madsen, Chairman of DRC, Mr. Andreas Kamm, Secretary General, DRC and Mr. Michael Adams, the Ethiopia Country Director of DRC.
She spent a good part of her time in the camp visiting projects managed by DRC such as a Water Point and a grinding mill. She had a ‘focus-group’ discussion with women and girls and had random interactions with women and children who make up the majority of the camp’s residents. The Crown Princess freely moved around the hot and dusty camp and had a very humane interaction with some of the children.
UNHCR Representative Valentin Tapsoba welcomed the visit of the Crown Princess and said: “Her Royal Highness’s visit to Tierkidi refugee camp highlights the importance of UNHCR’s work in protecting refugees, and particularly the efforts UNHCR and its partners are exerting to prevent and address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the refugee camps.”
The visit to the camp was part of HRH’s mission of furthering Denmark’s agenda to improve women’s and girls’ health and rights issues around the world. In Addis Ababa, where they will be staying until 18 February, HRH and the Minister are set to meet with government officials, civil society organisations and individuals championing women’s and girls’ issues to discuss the specific challenges they face in humanitarian crises, as well as possible solutions. They will also be meeting Ethiopian female entrepreneurs.
By Kisut GebreEgziabher, in Tierkidi camp