Meerdink (DR Congo)


Ned Meerdink (DR Congo)

Ned Meerdink (Sos Femmes en Danger – SOSFED): Ned earned his Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied humanitarian work in Central and Eastern Africa. After graduation, NED worked for human rights NGOs in the US and Congo. They included Mutuelle Jeunesse Active (MJA) in Sud Kivu. AP deployed Ned to Uvira, in South Kivu, in September 2008 to work with civil society organizations including Tunza Mazingira, Arche d’Alliance, and SOS Femmes en Danger. Ned launched the partnership between SOSFED and AP in 2009.



31 Oct

Rape in Congo: Not just a question of conflict

A recent report issued by the American Medical Association (AMA) has had me and SOS

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 31, 2010

0
16 Sep

Water, Food, and Fuel

When I think about all of the lessons I have learned in three years in

Posted By Admin

Posted Sep 16, 2010

0
25 Aug

Walikale: July 30-August 2

Anyone doubting the gravity of the situation women in eastern Congo face and the constant

Posted By Admin

Posted Aug 25, 2010

0
07 Aug

Mboko Meeting Recap

I recently arrived back in Bujumbura after a productive, albeit dusty and tiring, séjour in

Posted By Admin

Posted Aug 07, 2010

0
27 Jul

South Kivu Travel Agency

This evening, I returned home from my most recent series of planning meetings with AP’s

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 27, 2010

0
12 Jul

Back to work in Congo & Sange village

I arrived last week to Uvira, South Kivu, in order to participate in a marathon

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 12, 2010

0
05 Jul

It’s Good to be Back in Great Lakes Africa

After an absence that ran far too long, I am happy to be back in

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 05, 2010

0
19 Sep

Uvira News Flash

[Rather than write three separate entries concerning three recent items of note in Uvira, I

Posted By Admin

Posted Sep 19, 2009

2
02 Sep

School is around the corner, but where are the uniforms?

One of the more frustrating aspects of working in the regions of Congo currently under

Posted By Admin

Posted Sep 02, 2009

110
24 Jul

Arche d’Alliance Field Visit: Lubarika and the Haut Plateau

Yesterday, I was traveling to Lubarika, a small village on Uvira’s Haut Plateau. The Haut

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 24, 2009

257
20 Jul

Shhhhhhhh…

Where in the world is the FDLR? That seems to be the question going around

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 20, 2009

73
17 Jul

Development Graveyard

Of all the empty promises which led to the 2006 election of current president Joseph

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 17, 2009

0
07 Jul

Are you paranoid or do I just look suspicious

My border crossings in Congo have become rather intricate afffairs with the complexity of the

Posted By Admin

Posted Jul 07, 2009

0
29 Jun

Article: UN-backed militia terrorizing civlians

As I have been writing recently about the Mai-Mai militias in North and South Kivu,

Posted By Admin

Posted Jun 29, 2009

0
29 Jun

L’indépendance, ce n’est pas assez

Tomorrow is the yearly independence celebration across Congo, commemorating the end of Belgian rule and

Posted By Admin

Posted Jun 29, 2009

210
22 Jun

What is a ‘Noyaux de Paix’: Makobola Field Visit with Arche d’Alliance

This last Wednesday, I was fortunate to visit one of Arche d’Alliance’s ongoing programs in

Posted By Admin

Posted Jun 22, 2009

244
22 Jun

Remembering Soweto 1976

This last Tuesday, the 16th of June, communities across sub-Saharan Africa remembered the massacres of

Posted By Admin

Posted Jun 22, 2009

6
15 Jun

New Camps, Same Old Story

A walk through Uvira’s most heavily militarized zone (not counting rebel/Mai-Mai areas) directly south of

Posted By Admin

Posted Jun 15, 2009

1
13 May

Tunza Mazingira Update

*Sorry for the delay in updating the blog if you’ve been following it, but I

Posted By Admin

Posted May 13, 2009

3
28 Mar

The Roi du Zaïre Comes to the East

In Congo, there is nothing like a presidential visit to give evidence as to why

Posted By Admin

Posted Mar 28, 2009

0
05 Mar

Association des Femmes des Medias du Sud Kivu: Supporting Women Journalists in Congo

For the last three days, I have been working in outside of Bukavu (north of

Posted By Admin

Posted Mar 05, 2009

251
02 Mar

SOS Femmes en Danger Field Visit: February 23-27

This last week, I have been in Fizi Territory, which is the province directly south

Posted By Admin

Posted Mar 02, 2009

2
27 Feb

Centre d’Ecadrement des Jeunes pour le Developpment Rurale (CEJEDR): Protecting the Rights of Congolese Children

Visit Congo for even a day, and you will see that one of the dominant

Posted By Admin

Posted Feb 27, 2009

216
13 Feb

Marceline Kongolo-Bise: 2009 Vital Voices Fern Holland Award honoree

After weeks of nervous waiting, I recently got the good news that a colleague of

Posted By Admin

Posted Feb 13, 2009

0
27 Dec

1 Month M.I.A.

The last month has been busy as usual, and I was actually fortunate enough to

Posted By Admin

Posted Dec 27, 2008

0
04 Nov

“In Congo, a Little Fighting Brings a Lot of Fear”-NY Times, Nov 2 2008

“When Congo shakes, Africa trembles.” If you are interested in reading more about Congo’s “linchpin”

Posted By Admin

Posted Nov 04, 2008

145
02 Nov

Voices from the Kivus

Given the history of eastern Congo, it is not surprising that Congolese are overwhelmingly honest

Posted By Admin

Posted Nov 02, 2008

0
31 Oct

Goma updates illustrate trends in eastern Congo

The red oval represents the amount of territory in eastern Congo which is threatened should

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 31, 2008

313
29 Oct

Goma, CNDP rebels, and an tense few days for all of eastern Congo

Speaking with my friend Celestin tonight, I could tell despite the static-filled connection that his

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 29, 2008

0
23 Oct

GENARDIS: Support for Rural Women in South Kivu

I wanted to write a quick word about one of Arche d’Alliance’s programs which I

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 23, 2008

250
20 Oct

Pole Sana FC Kabimba

Today (I am writing this Sunday, October 19) the MJA kids had a match against

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 20, 2008

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18 Oct

Journee Mondiale du Refus de la Misere 2008

As I left Congo last January, the thoughts of everyone across North and South Kivu

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 18, 2008

323
14 Oct

“Tunza Mazingira: A Grassroots Conservation Movement in Eastern Congo”

The view from one house built in the Uvira mountains. In North and South Kivu,

Posted By Admin

Posted Oct 14, 2008

13
25 Sep

Statistics Rarely Tell the Whole Story

In the development and humanitarian aid fields, statistics can be a rather depressing reminder of

Posted By Admin

Posted Sep 25, 2008

305
12 Sep

“The more things change, the more they stay the same”: My First Week Back in Uvira/South Kivu, Congo (September 5-12)

I am very excited to be back in Uvira again, and am quickly getting acclimated

Posted By Admin

Posted Sep 12, 2008

0

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