Jill Biden travels to east Congo on Africa tour
Washington Post - 5 hours ago
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS July 5 at 10:33 AM
Jill Biden, second left, the wife of American Vice-President Joe
Biden, speaks with people at a school project that benefits from
American Aid money in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday,
July 5, 2014. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is
highlighting female empowerment, education and leadership on a tour of
three African countries this week, including the DRC. (John
Bompengo/Associated Press)
BUKAVU, Congo -- Jill Biden, the wife of the U.S. vice president,
traveled Saturday to conflict-wracked eastern Congo, where she met
with survivors of sexual violence as part of her three-nation tour of
the continent.
Her trip to Zambia, Congo and Sierra Leone, focused on highlighting
issues facing women and girls, marks her third to Africa since Joe
Biden became vice president.
During her stop in the Bukavu area, Biden visited the Panzi Hospital,
which treats sexual violence survivors. As she was greeted by hospital
personnel, she said she wanted "to learn and better understand the
challenges facing Congolese women."
Rape has long been used as a weapon of war on all sides of the
conflict in eastern Congo, which has been mired in conflict for more
than two decades.
She said that U.S. financing of projects had helped provide medical
and psychological assistance to 13,000 victims in the country last
year, and close to 4,000 women received legal help.
Biden also commended Dr. Denis Mukwege, an internationally renowned
gynecologist who founded the hospital in 1999 and whose team has
treated tens of thousands of victims. In 2012, Mukwege survived an
assassination attempt after armed intruders held his family at
gunpoint.
"Thanks to your extraordinary efforts to fight against sexual
violence, to fight against impunity and to offer services to
survivors," she said. "Not only do you improve the lives of thousands
of Congolese women but you help change the face of Africa."
Biden, who traveled to Zambia earlier, is also visiting a center that
helps former child soldiers before she leaves Congo. On Sunday, she
stops in Sierra Leone before heading back to the United States.
Online: Panzi Hospital: http://www.panzihospital.org
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
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