When I arrived in the DRC in October 2021 to take up my post as Country Director of the International Rescue Committee, a friend who has been working in the country for almost ten years said to me: "Welcome to the development laboratory".

On the spot, I didn't understand his words. But it took me less than a month to understand what he was talking about. I relate my experience in this article. Read and comment.

On Wednesday, 11 May 2022, two International Rescue Committee (IRC) vehicles were attacked by armed men, and two colleagues were kidnapped. On Thursday, 19 May 2022, they were released safe, marking the end of a 9-day ordeal for them, their families, relatives and colleagues.

I give a flashback to those nine days of captivity and suffering of our two colleagues and how I experienced them.

In 2020, when the Covid-19 virus spread around the world like wildfire, everyone predicted doom and gloom for Africa. It was not to be. With the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, a dark fate is being predicted for the continent. Africa has the means to protect itself against the negative effects of this crisis.

After years of escalating tension and months of unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, what the world had feared happened in the early hours of 24 February 2022: the Russian army attacked Ukraine.

The shockwave is spreading at high speed and risks hitting Africa hard.

I set foot in Goma, DRC, for the first time on Saturday 16 October. I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the city but especially by the hospitality and the joie de vivre of the people of Goma. The food is excellent and above all healthy and natural.

As the third wave of COVID-19 hits the African continent hard, with the Delta variant spreading fast, there is an increased risk to the health of populations and economies. With no effective medicines available, vaccination remains the most effective weapon against the spread of the virus. However, in a world of three-speed access to the COVID vaccine, Africa is lagging behind. But there is still hope.

COVID-19 shed light on a sad reality: when there is a global threat, nationalism and protectionism rise. And the poorest always pay the heaviest toll. But it doesn't have to be that way. There is still time to make things right and prevent the situation from deteriorating.

I had my first injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, and I am fine. It was 3.30 pm yesterday, Friday 2 April 2021, when I entered the COVID-19 vaccination compound ... By 3.50 pm, it was all over. I walked away with my vaccination card in my hand with the date for the second injection.

Fatim is a young and talented woman who has a lot to offer. However, like many other young women and men entering the labour market, she faces the intergenerational conflict’s harsh reality. But she also faces another major challenge: gender relations at work. This blog tells her story.

In this blog, I talk about the last principle of the 3 helps principle: Ask for help. I introduce three tips you need to apply when asking for help: ask for help from someone who can and is willing to help you; say what your own contribution is going to be and be clear about what you are committing to do when you receive help.