NENGO

NENGO, five letters that mean "Dignity" in Sango, the national language of the Central African Republic. It is also the name of the project that the Pierre Fabre Foundation is running in Bangui, to restore dignity to thousands of women, men and children who are victims of sexual violence in the conflits areas. With all its international and Central African partners, the foundation is setting up a comprehensive care centre in the capital. It operates on several levels: medical, psychological, legal and socio-economic. It transposes to the country the holistic model developed by Dr Denis Mukwege in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his commitment to combating sexual violence used as a weapon of war. Since its launch in 2020, the NENGO project has benefited more than 5,000 people.

Thanks to the NENGO project, photojournalist Nick Danziger was able to meet men and women, families and carers. He collected their stories and photographed their daily lives. With infinie delicacy, he delivers 15 stories, accompanied by portraits and colour photos. In this bleak world, despite the difficulty of some of the testimonies, Nick Danziger manages to conjure up courage and the hope of rediscovered dignity.

The visit reveals other realities: the consequences of gender inequality in daily life, within families, and particularly in access to education; the difficulty of accessing gynaecological and obstetric care; the double punishment suffered by victims when they are rejected by their community; the terribly difficult journey these women embark on to obtain justice and reparation.

"Violence against women and girls is one of the most frequent violations of fundamental rights in the world. It knows no borders, be they economic, social or geographical. Worldwide, it is estimated that one woman in three will be a victim of physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. Although gender-based violence jeopardises the health, dignity, safety and autonomy of its victims, it is still surrounded by a culture of silence (...)" points out UNFPA, the United Nations lead agency for sexual and reproductive health issues.

Thanks to the support of the Pierre Fabre Foundation, the exhibition "gives a voice to survivors and extends the action in the field to inform as many people as possible and encourage us all to become activists against gender-based violence", hopes Béatrice Garrette, its Managing Director.

About the Pierre Fabre Foundation :

Recognised as a public utility since 1999, the Pierre Fabre Foundation works to give people in developing countries better access to quality medicines and healthcare. Its 5 areas of intervention are: training pharmacists and healthcare professionals; the fight against sickle cell anaemia; access to healthcare for vulnerable populations; e-health, and dermatology, particularly for people with albinism. By 2023, the Foundation will be running more than 30 programmes in 21 countries in Africa, South-East Asia, Lebanon and Haiti. The Pierre Fabre Foundation is the main shareholder of the Pierre Fabre Group with 86%.

About Nick Danziger:

Photographer, committed filmmaker and travel writer, he has spent most of the last twenty-five years photographing the world's most disadvantaged people. He works regularly with many magazines around the world, including The Times, Paris Match, Le Figaro, VSD, Marie Claire and Elle. He has received many prestigious awards, including the World Press Photo in 2004.