A tribute to former colleague Lisa Mbele-Mbong who lost her life in the Haiti earthquake
January 15, 2010
Est. Reading: 1 minute
Photo credit: Claudio Vasquez
It was with deep shock and tremendous sadness that we learned that Lisa, a former colleague and friend of Interpeace, was among the many victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti. She did not survive the collapse of the building where she worked as a human rights officer.
Lisa touched all who had the privilege of working with her. As a Programme Officer at Interpeace she worked on potential new programmes. One of her tasks was an informal exploratory process on behalf of our organization in a country that we know was very dear to her heart—Haiti. What struck us most at the time was how passionately committed she was to Haiti and how knowledgeable and articulate she was about its complex political and social history. She impressed us all by her intelligence, her analytical skills and her dedication to social justice and human rights.
Those of us who worked closely with her at the time also remember her little son, whom she often brought to the office with her. Lisa was a strong role model and a truly devoted mother.
Lisa’s strength, her caring, her very principled view of a troubled world and her stubborn commitment to do something good to change it will be qualities that will be missed. A very sad loss for all.
