“La terreur des enfants”
His real name is Anatole, but he’s known here as “La terreur des enfants”, or “the children’s terror”. Every morning, he sits on the stool in the blood sample room of our Paediatric Centre in Bangui, Central African Republic, and calls out the names of the children indicated by his triage colleagues. It seems that children’s fear of needles is universal. He soothes frightened children with a few gentle words.
The next child comes in. The trainee student sitting at Anatole’s side has watched and now he knows what to do, so it’s his turn to take the blood sample. Anatole nods approvingly; he enjoys his work and he’s happy to teach someone else how to do it. He knows full well how important his commitment is, in a place where everything is consumed by poverty and war.
– Sandra, EMERGENCY staff member
This project is co-funded by the European Union – EU Delegation to the Central African Republic