London, United Kingdom | AFP | Senegalese singer Baaba Maal is quitting his role as global ambassador for Oxfam over the British charity’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations concerning its staff, the BBC reported. “What has happened on a human level is disgusting and heart-breaking,” he told BBC Newsnight late …
Read More »MSF reveals sex abuse cases as Oxfam scandal widens
Paris, France | AFP | A scandal over sexual abuse in the foreign aid industry that began with Oxfam spread Wednesday, as French group Doctors Without Borders revealed it had fired 19 staff last year for harassment or abuse. The Paris-based group, known by its French acronym MSF, said it …
Read More »Aid group IRC acknowledges three sex abuse cases in DRC
New York, United States | AFP | The International Rescue Committee on Wednesday confirmed three cases of sexual abuse under its watch in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, saying police were informed and those involved dismissed. The admission comes with the international aid sector rocked by growing public allegations …
Read More »Oxfam faces South Sudan abuse claim as sex scandal widens
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Scandal-hit British charity Oxfam was reeling Tuesday after fresh claims of sexual assault and cover-up in South Sudan, as Haiti’s president condemned the behaviour of some of its staff in his country as “undignified and dishonest”. The latest revelations by Helen Evans, former global head …
Read More »British actress Minnie Driver quits Oxfam role over charity sex scandal
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British actress Minnie Driver quit her role as an Oxfam ambassador late Tuesday, saying she was “devastated” by the charity’s response to a sex scandal involving its aid workers. Driver was the first celebrity to quit the global charity as accusations over staff paying …
Read More »Donor nations offer $2.3 billion for third world education
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Donor nations announced on Saturday $2.3 billion in funding to support education in developing countries, following an international meeting in the Senegalese capital Dakar. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) — which brings together donors, international organisations and the private sector — called the figure …
Read More »40,000 displaced Yemenis stranded without aid in Aden: UN
Aden, Yemen | AFP | The UN expressed concern on Wednesday for more than 40,000 displaced Yemenis who had sought refuge in second city Aden, only to find themselves caught in deadly fighting between troops and separatist militia. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it had been unable to distribute …
Read More »UN launches appeal for over 200,000 displaced by Boko Haram
Niamey, Niger | AFP | The UN refugee agency appealed on Wednesday for $157 million (126 million euros) to help over a quarter of a million people affected by the insurgency led by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. The UNHCR, acting with more than 40 other agencies, said it …
Read More »Trump threatens to cut aid to Pakistan, a ‘haven to terrorists’
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump lashed out at Pakistan on Monday in his first tweet of 2018, threatening to cut off aid over what he said were its “lies and deceit” in offering “safe haven to terrorists.” “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more …
Read More »Over half Syrian refugees in Lebanon in ‘extreme poverty’: UN
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | More than half of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon are now living in extreme poverty, and the vast majority live below the poverty line, the UN’s refugee agency said Friday. According to the UN, more than a million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon since …
Read More »