Lucy Ellis

Gathering for one last mealOne thing that marks life in the field is the constant farewells. There’s always someone coming, someone leaving, someone starting or someone wrapping up.

This time it’s my turn to say farewell to Kisangani. It’s true, you do get better at saying goodbye and starting over every six, nine or twelve months … but it’s still always sad to leave a place where you’ve built up a community.

As I write this, on my last Sunday in Kisangani, there are still a lot of loose ends to tie up and things to handover…details, details, details. But, there’s still enough time to sit back and reflect on a great eight months in Kisangani. This morning I had breakfast with some religious sisters that live nearby. Their community has often been a quiet refuge for me from the naturally chaotic life on the base. This afternoon I might head out for one last beer with some of the others in the humanitarian community; they have become like family because we’re all far from our real families.

Lucy Ellis

Securing a plane is half of the battle

Securing a plane is half of the battle

You know how families can have a tendency towards certain professions? Well, my family seems to gravitate towards the travel industry. I never thought that would actually come in handy as I tried to break the mould and do humanitarian work, but alas, one cannot escape one’s roots.

At our base in Kisangani, D.R. Congo we spend a lot of time organising the air movements of diverse freight and of the courageous staff I mentioned in my last post – the ones heading up to northeastern DRC, to some of the most isolated regions in the country. Some days I literally feel like I live in a hotel and run a travel agency… without all the usual trappings, however. There’s no online booking available, no profit margin to target, and very little chance that things will actually go according to plan. Again, that’s half the fun, but also half the frustration.

Lucy Ellis

Lucy Ellis in the field

Lucy Ellis in the field

There’s never a dull moment. After feeling that I’m making a difference to help those who suffer rebuild their lives, this is probably the next best thing about working in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Action Against Hunger.

As Head of Base in Kisangani, the third largest city of the DRC, smack bang in the middle of this gargantuan humid and fertile landmass that used to be the backyard of a Belgian king, my job is a bit like producing a very unpredictable stage show.

FT Hunger Diaries is no longer updated but it remains open as an archive.

From the frontline of the battle against hunger we are tracking the day-to-day efforts to preserve life in some of the most deprived corners of the world.

These are the diaries of Action Against Hunger/ACF staff, working in more than 40 countries. They tell the story behind the hungry faces and give intimate details of what it takes to fight malnutrition from the ground up.

Read more about the FT's seasonal appeal, on behalf of Action Against Hunger/ACF.

View our interactive graphic on global hunger and the UN food security summit website.

About the authors

Lucy Ellis is head of base in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo, where Action Against Hunger has run life-saving programs since 1997. Lucy is from New Zealand and has worked and volunteered previously in Senegal, Vanuatu and Thailand in many capacities, including logistics, project coordination, communications and refugee support.


Amelia Lyons is working as the water, sanitation and hygiene programme manager in post-conflict northern Uganda, where years of civil unrest displaced nearly two million people. In the humanitarian field for four years, Amelia has worked on water and sanitation projects in Uganda, Nepal and Mexico.

Ashley Sarangi is the country director for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a volatile area that is home to several armed groups and has suffered from repeated violent conflicts over the last 15 years. A humanitarian worker since 2004, Ashley has spent more than three years in eastern DR Congo and has also managed humanitarian projects in Chad, Haiti, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

Rachel Eichholz is a food security & livelihoods programme manager in Malualkon, southern Sudan, where she manages programmes in northern Bahr el Ghazal state. An Atlanta native, she has lived and worked in the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and the United States.

Emily Sloane is a food security and livelihoods programme manager in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Emily is based in a small market town on the north-western shore of Lake Kivu. Before this foray into the humanitarian world, Emily pursued a decade-long stream of positions throughout North America, Burkina Faso and France, collecting skills in ox driving, environmental education, trail building, teaching, native plant propagation and natural resource project management.

George Petropoulos is country director in Pakistan, where Action Against Hunger launched its first humanitarian intervention in 1979 for Afghan refugees crossing into the country. George is from Greece, and his career in policy and humanitarian work has taken him to Africa and the Middle East.


Rachel Roseberry is the Food Security and Livelihoods Program Manager in Karamoja, Uganda, a relatively insecure region that is known for its semi-arid climate and cattle raiding. Rachel’s background is in natural resource management; she has worked in that capacity in Tajikistan, Indonesia, Canada, and now Uganda.


Bob Bongomin, born in Gulu, northern Uganda, is in his sixth year with Action Against Hunger. He currently manages ACF’s emergency water, sanitation & hygiene program in the Khyber Paktunkhwa province of Pakistan, where thousands of people have been affected by unprecedented flooding.


Eric Rheinstein is the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program Manager for Action Against Hunger in Walikale, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He has worked with Action Against Hunger, various NGOs, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burundi, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Albania, northern Uganda, and Chad.


Keira Lowther is Action Against Hunger’s Head of Community Capacity Building in Swaziland. A paediatric nurse specialising in HIV and public health nutrition, she has worked in paediatric wards in east and central London and with Action Against Hunger in Chad, China and Swaziland.


Rupert Leighton is the Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Zimbabwe. He has more than 15 years humanitarian experience in countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, El Salvador and Angola.

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