Attachments
EDITOR’S NOTE
I'm pleased to introduce the March issue of Voices of Darfur, which continues in the 32-page format, giving the magazine the ability to tell the story of UNAMID and the people of Darfur with more in-depth coverage. The current issue, like other recent issues of Voices, contains news, features and interviews not only about unique aspects of life in Darfur but also about UNAMID’s ongoing efforts to facilitate lasting peace in the region.
This issue includes two interviews, first an exclusive with UNAMID’s Acting Chief. In the interview, Acting Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator a.i. Aichatou Mindaoudou talks about several of the objectives she has been working to achieve since taking on the role of UNAMID’s Acting Head on 1 August 2012. Mr. Emadeldin Rijal conducted the second interview, our cover feature, with Mahasin Osman Altahir. In the interview, Ms. Altahir talks with Voices about the role of the Hakamas in Darfur, and shares her thoughts on the impact of her art on Darfur’s social fabric.
In “Many People, Few Resources: Doctors and Their Patients,” Mr. Albert González Farran presents a photo essay that highlights the challenges of medical professionals in Darfur, a region of Sudan that is lacking fully developed infrastructure and where medical supplies are scarce. The photo essay is a tribute to the patients who need care and especially the doctors and nurses attending to them, struggling with limited resources to care for their clients’ medical needs and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
In the viewpoint published in this issue, Ms. Yegerawork Angagaw, the Chief of UNAMID’s Gender Advisory Unit, offers her thoughts about commemorating International Women’s Day in Darfur, and points out that, while more women are engaging in the peace process here, there is still a long way to go. Ms. Angagaw argues that, despite many challenges, UNAMID is making progress in working with every segment of Darfur society, from local communities to Government institutions, to mobilize support for the women of Darfur.
In “Touching the Lives of Darfuri Street Children,” Ms. Sharon Lukunka writes about the plight of street kids in Darfur. Ten years of Darfur’s conflict have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their home areas with no means of making a living, an infrastructure that is in disrepair, and an education system that lacks basic services. Against this backdrop, Darfur is struggling to meet the needs of its street children.
As Voices of Darfur continues to evolve as a news magazine, we welcome your feedback. To send comments by email, please put “Letters to the Editor / Voices of Darfur” in the subject line and send the email to unamid-publicinformation@un.org.
Kirk L. Kroeker Head of Publications