Arriving with the Rains

Viviane Konan has returned to her native Côte d’Ivoire to participate in SFCG’s international internship program. A recent graduate of the University of the District of Columbia, she interned with the Africa Program in DC this past spring. Wanting to see the programs she supported in action, she took advantage of the international internship program and recently arrived in Abidjan, the largest city, where Search’s country office is located. She’ll be working to measure the impact of projects like “Supporting a conversation with Youth on Leadership” which aims to strengthen youth capacity to mitigate conflict and promote tolerance. Viviane arrived home just in time for the start of rainy season…

Heavy rains in Abidjan

By Viviane Konan

The rain season just started and will not end until August. A mere week after my arrival in Abidjan, I witnessed some of the season’s most torrential rain. I heard the few drops during the night and the pounding worsened around four in the morning, enough to wake me. It continued to assail the city all day long.

The rain destroyed houses, buildings, and bridges in Abidjan slums and neighborhoods. Ensuing landslides and flooding have rendered many homeless.  The media and police have reported a dozen dead and several wounded. In a country with no relief and disaster department, people affected by the rains were forced to flee and are unsure when they’ll be able to return.

Some residents, however, have found it nearly impossible to leave their homes. My neighborhood was among the areas severely hit by the flood. Therefore, I was unable to find any public transportation to go to Search’s office. After calling our logistic manager (who was already there) I managed to get into the office. We at Search have been incredibly lucky. I was surprised to see that all of my co-workers made it in, despite the awful conditions.  Perhaps a testament to the work?