A Congolese nun wins the UN's 2013 Nansen Refugee Award
18 Sept. 2013: A Congolese nun has won the United Nation’s 2013 Nansen Refugee Award.
Sister Angélique Namaika works in the nort-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) in favour of women victims of violence of the Lord 's Resistance Army - LRA.
António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, in announcing the Nansen
Refugee Award to the Congolese nun said "She is a true heroine. She has shown that
a single person can change the lives of families torn apart by war". "The Center for
the reintegration and development of Dungu, led by Sister Angélique has changed the
lives of more than 2000 women and girls, who had been forced to flee to escape being
brutalized by the LRA" says a note from the UNHCR. Most of the women welcomed at the
Center talk of abductions, forced labour, murders and sexual violence. "It is hard
to imagine the suffering of these women and girls in the hands of the LRA", said the
nun on learning that she had received the award. According to Sister Angélique thanks
to the award "other displaced people in Dungu will receive the help they need. I will
never stop doing everything possible to restore their hope and offer the chance to
live again" she said. In the center, created in 2008, guests can receive an education
and learn a trade. According to UNHCR figures, in the Eastern Province of the DRC
since 2008, 320,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. The Nansen Refugee
Award is given annually by UNHCR to individuals or groups in recognition of "outstanding
service to the refugee cause". The award is named after Fridtjof Nansen, the famous
Norwegian explorer, scientist and politician, who was the first High Commissioner
for Refugees of the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations. Sister
Angélique will receive the Award on 30 September in Geneva. On October 2, she will
be received by Pope Francis in Rome. Source: Fides