The Jackson Institute co-hosted the discussion, “The Challenges of Responding to Humanitarian Needs in Sub-Saharan Africa” on Monday, April 11, from 4-5:30 pm in the GM Room, Horchow Hall. Moderated by Louisa Lombard, assistant professor of anthropology who researches and writes about politics, law, and conflict in Africa, the discussion addressed the following questions: What does it take to respond to medical needs in some of the poorest countries in the world with the worst childhood mortality rates? How can local and international organizations work together to provide high-quality medical care in chronic emergencies like malnutrition and outbreaks such as Ebola?

Panelists included:

Augustin Augier, co-founder and secretary general of The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), based in Paris. Augustin previously worked for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Angola, DR Congo and Sudan in several positions such as emergency coordinator, project coordinator and head of mission. He is a graduate of ESCP-EAP, European Graduate School of Management with an MSc in management.

Christopher Lockyear, director of operations at Action Against Hunger USA, where he oversees the strategy and implementation of the organization’s field operations, including DRC, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Uganda. Prior to joining Action Against Hunger, Chris worked for a decade with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) as a logistician and water and sanitation engineer as well as an operations manager for programs in Chad, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and elsewhere. Chris holds a BA in engineering and a master of engineering from Cambridge University, and was selected as one of the 2014 Yale World Fellows.

The discussion was co-sponsored by Yale Council on African Studies, Yale School of Public Health, the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale Child Study Center.