News from OGACHI: Duke Restricts Travel to Ethiopia & Updates from Around the World

News from OGACHI: Duke Restricts Travel to Ethiopia & Updates from Around the World

From the Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives...

Duke Restricts Travel to Ethiopia

Effective September 8, 2016 Duke’s Restricted Regions List reflects a ‘entire country’ restriction on travel to Ethiopia, which is an expansion of the previous travel restriction for the city of Gondar and border areas within Ethiopia. This expanded restriction was put into place due to the rising risk for visitors to Ethiopia from protestors and/or responding security forces.

While international visitors and foreign interests in Ethiopia are not being directly targeted, bystanders may face harm from clashes between protesters and the security forces over recent rulings by the government over property and natural resource reallocation. Protests are likely in Addis Ababa, Oromia and Amhara regions as well as other urban centers. Per International SOS travel advice “Travelers should avoid all protests due to the forcible measures employed by the security forces when breaking up protests. Travelers may experience disruption because of road blocks and business closures.”  We have reports of internet and communication channels being shut down as part of the security force’s response to protests as well and this has interrupted travelers plans.

For faculty, staff and students who have registered plans to visit Ethiopia, Duke will be communicating with those individuals and their programs directly. If you are aware of travelers who may not have yet registered, please have them contact Christy Parrish as soon as possible.

Before travel abroad, all faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to sign up for travel security email alerts via the Duke-ISOS portal and to register their travel plans and emergency contacts in Duke’s Travel Registry at http://travel.duke.edu/.  The registry is the single source Duke has to turn to for locating travelers in order to provide aide in the event of an emergency.

Updates from the OGACHI Blog

  • The Value of Clinical Health Workers in Nicaragua - I traveled to Managua, Nicaragua to work with the AMOS organization in their urban and rural health clinics as well as in various community health programs in Managua and outlying rural villages. Read more
  • My Time in Bequia - I went to Bequia, a small a small island on the south side of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), last year near Easter time. We spent the entire month of April there for our rotation. I had a wonderful experience learning the culture and the people of Bequia. Read more
  • City of Hope, Ntagatcha, Tanzania - How as Africa? This is the question everyone asks, but I couldn't begin to answer if I tried...not unless you have several hours, maybe days, anyway, and even then I couldn't answer it fully. A question like this begs a response like, "Amazing," "Unbelievable," "Hard," "Beautiful," "Life-Changing," or any number of similar trite responses that could never capture this kind of experience. Read more
  • Jambo, from Moshi! - I came to Moshi, Tanzania in hopes of making a difference in the lives of people served by Majengo Health Clinic. Prepared by Duke University's family nurse practitioner curriculum, I felt I could make a contribution. Read more

 

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