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Blog Posts by Marcy Hersh

S. Sudan's Yida Camp: No Place to Raise a Child
June 03, 2013 Marcy Hersh Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security, Women & Children

Samuel totters on uneven footing in the doorway of the thatch hut and gapes, open-mouthed, at the strangers in his house. He’s just a year old and has lived his entire life here in Yida, a transit camp for refugees in Unity State, South Sudan.

My Refugees International colleague and I perch on the edge of the bed that Samuel shares with his mom, Halima. When Samuel starts to whimper, Halima rises from her metal chair, held together by twine, scoops up the naked baby, and then returns to her chair and continues her story.

Let's Roll Up Our Sleeves and Work for Women's Rights
March 08, 2013 Marcy Hersh Africa, DR Congo, Rwanda, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security, Women & Children

If you live in a Western country, you might find it a bit strange – even anachronistic – to devote an entire day to honoring women. Many of my friends here in Washington, DC, feel that all the major battles facing women have already been won.

In Congo, Women Face Impossible Choice: Risk Rape, or Go Hungry
February 01, 2013 Marcy Hersh Africa, DR Congo, Rwanda, Humanitarian Response, Protection & Security, Women & Children
This post originally appeared at UN Dispatch.

What is something that you do no less than ten times every day? Check email? Send a text message? No less than ten times a day, Colette* listens to the story of a woman who has just been raped.
For Syrian Refugees, Life at Home May Be Hell, But Camps Are No Haven
October 19, 2012 Marcy Hersh Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Humanitarian Response, Middle East, Protection & Security, Women & Children

This post originally appeared at UN Dispatch.

Hannan, four years old, squirms on her pink hospital bed, covering her face with her hands as if I cannot see her that way. When she thinks I’m not looking, she peeks up at me between her fingers and I give her a quick smile. She smiles back, and then immediately rolls over, hiding from me and my colleague.

Syrian Students Tested by Refugee Life
October 05, 2012 Marcy Hersh Syria, Turkey, Humanitarian Response, Middle East, Women & Children

This post originally appeared at Reuters AlertNet.

The fall semester is well underway back in the United States. Students are breathing in the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, carrying backpacks across leafy college campuses, making new friends, and feeling nervous and excited at the prospect of raising their hand and expressing newly-formed opinions.