Côte d’Ivoire: maternity hospital renovated with UN help

A small town in Côte d’Ivoire today received the keys to a renovated maternity hospital from representatives from the United Nations peacekeeping operation, known as UNOCI, in the West African country.

Thanks to the efforts of UNOCI and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Femmes Côte d’Ivoire Experiences, the town’s three-room unit – comprising a consulting room, a birthing room and a recovery room – was refurbished.

The town of Raviart, located in the former so-called Zone of Confidence separating the Government-ruled south and rebel-held north, will benefit from the work since it will give “the area a modern maternity hospital to allow women to give birth in proper conditions,” said Abdourahmane Ganda, from UNOCI’s civil affairs coordination division.

UNOCI representatives based in the Abidjan and several offices in the western and eastern zones attended the festive handover.

Praising the Mission for its contributions to bringing peace to the country whose civil war officially ended in January 2004, local representatives called on UNOCI to assist in other projects geared towards developing infrastructure.

UNOCI has nearly 9,000 total uniformed personnel in the country with a mandate to monitor the cessation of hostilities and movements of armed groups, help in disarmament and dismantling of militias and contribute to the security of the operation of identifying the population and registering voters.