Chad RPCV Nicole Poirier-Djonouma heads Catholic Relief Services in Democratic Republic of the Congo



After college graduation in 1993, Poirier-Djonouma volunteered for Catholic Charities in Maine while waiting to hear from the Peace Corps. She got her wish when she was sent to Chad the next year. She built latrines and informed people about good hygiene as a health volunteer for three years, then worked with Population Services International, informing women about HIV/ AIDS. "The people are the richness of Chad," she said. "They are warm." Poirier-Djonouma described Chad as hot and barren. She said she fetched water from wells, went to sleep at dusk and got up at dawn. In 1998, she married Akibou Djonouma from Chad. After going to Vermont for more schooling, she went to Zimbabwe for a year before returning to Chad in 2001 and staying five years with Catholic Relief Services. She moved to Congo last year. She said she hopes the countries eventually won't have a need for outside help.

Chad RPCV Nicole Poirier-Djonouma heads Catholic Relief Services in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ex-Mainer 'making a difference' in Congo

The Auburn native runs three offices for Catholic Relief Services.

By WILLA PLANK Staff Writer July 21, 2007

Nicole Poirier-Djonouma rethought her decision to live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when a two-day battle broke out in March, leaving her 6-year-old son, Imrhane, at the French Embassy after his school was evacuated.

Poirier-Djonouma, 36, who was raised in Auburn, said she reminded herself about the cause she was pushing for and the good she was doing in the country.

"I feel that I'm making a difference in their lives," Poirier- Djonouma said.

Poirier-Djonouma said she is proud that her two sons have multicultural experience and will be global citizens.

"So many Americans don't know that Africa is a continent, not a country," she said.

Poirier-Djonouma lives in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, with her husband and their two sons. As the representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Catholic Relief Services, she oversees three offices.

Catholic Relief Services in Congo, in partnership with local groups, helps health centers and runs programs, including an agricultural program and a justice and peace program supporting reconciliation and civic education.

The group also provides emergency response by helping returning refugees or internally displaced people.

Catholic Relief Services is a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that helps in more than 98 countries with emergency relief and long-term development, including development of sustainable agriculture, said spokeswoman Hilary Roxe.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been fraught with tension since a recent civil war, and militia groups still roam the country's eastern region.

Pierrot Rugaba, director of refugee and immigration services for Catholic Charities Maine, said that in the past six years, about 250 to 350 people from Congo have been resettled in Maine or have moved to the state from other places. The biggest group of refugees came in 2002 and 2003.

Poirier-Djonouma said her interest in going abroad began when a Peace Corps volunteer visited her high school. She majored in political science at Boston University, and during her senior year she studied abroad in Niger, helping a program that used satellites to detect future famines.

After college graduation in 1993, Poirier-Djonouma volunteered for Catholic Charities in Maine while waiting to hear from the Peace Corps. She got her wish when she was sent to Chad the next year. She built latrines and informed people about good hygiene as a health volunteer for three years, then worked with Population Services International, informing women about HIV/ AIDS.

"The people are the richness of Chad," she said. "They are warm."

Poirier-Djonouma described Chad as hot and barren. She said she fetched water from wells, went to sleep at dusk and got up at dawn. In 1998, she married Akibou Djonouma from Chad.

After going to Vermont for more schooling, she went to Zimbabwe for a year before returning to Chad in 2001 and staying five years with Catholic Relief Services. She moved to Congo last year. She said she hopes the countries eventually won't have a need for outside help.

"There are so many things that need to be worked on," she said. "I don't think they can do it themselves."

Poirier-Djonouma said she was originally interested in Latin American politics. But one high school classmate, Amy Mikesell, foretold Poirier-Djonouma's future.

Mikesell wrote in Poirier-Djonouma's yearbook: "See you in five years from now, unless Africa is keeping you too busy."

Dina Moore, Poirier-Djonouma's longtime friend, said that after her time in Niger, Poirier-Djonouma was changed.

"It's one thing to go to Paris as a senior," Moore said. "It's another thing to go to Africa."

Claire Poirier said it is not surprising that her daughter ended up in Africa, because "as a little kid, she was always reaching out to others."

Poirier said she spent a month in Chad when her daughter got married, and she plans to visit Congo next spring.

Chad is underdeveloped, but the people there were friendly and warm, she said.

"When you come here, you appreciate walking into Shaw's," Poirier said. "You appreciate small things in life."

Staff Writer Willa Plank can be contacted at 791-6326 or at:

wplank@pressherald.com

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: July, 2007; Peace Corps Chad; Directory of Chad RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Chad RPCVs; Peace Corps Congo Brazzaville; Directory of Congo Brazzaville RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Congo Brazzaville RPCVs; NGO's

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