Curriculum Vitae Els De Temmerman

Born: Oudenaarde (Belgium), 10^th February 1962

 

Studies:

Masters in Germanic Languages

Catholic University Louvain

Belgium

 

 

Professional Career:

 

1984 – 1987: Lecturer at Feng Chia University, Taichung, Republic of China

 

1987 – 1988: Aid worker Médecins Sans Frontières, Nyala, Sudan

 

1988 – 1990: Staff reporter ‘Het Volk’ (Belgian daily)

 

1990 – 1992: Staff reporter ‘Wereldwijd’ (Belgian magazine on development issues)

 

1992 – 1995: Africa correspondent ‘De Volkskrant’ (newspaper in the Netherlands) and ‘BRT’ (Belgian Radio & Television), based in Nairobi (Kenya)

 

1995 – 1996: Adviser to the Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation, Brussels

 

1996 – 1997: Africa correspondent ‘De Volkskrant’ and ‘BRT’ based in Kampala (Uganda)

 

1997 – 1999: Africa correspondent ‘De Morgen’ (Belgian daily) and ‘VTM’ (Flemish Television) based in South Africa

 

2000 – 2002: Columnist for ‘De Standaard’ (Belgian daily)

Lecturer on Africa

Assistant in the European Parliament and ACP/EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

 

2000 – to date: Founder/Executive Director of ‘Sponsoring Children Uganda’ (Belgian NGO paying school fees for 3,200 formerly abducted children in Northern Uganda with the revenues of the book ‘Aboke Girls’ and lectures – a project of 2m euro)

 

2003 – 2006: Coordinator of Rachele Rehabilitation Centre, Lira (construction and running of a centre for the rehabilitation and reintegration of formerly abducted children in northern Uganda, funded by the Belgian Government to an amount of 3m euro)

 

2006 – 2010: Editor-in-Chief The New Vision (Uganda’s leading daily)

Author of:

 

• The Horn of Agony, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia

Davidsfonds, Belgium, 1992

 

• The Dead are Alive : Rwanda, an eyewitness

De Arbeiderspers, The Netherlands, 1994 (also a movie)

 

• Africa, Continent in Motion

Icarus/De Standaard, Belgium, 1997

 

• Africa in a Vicious Circle

Muller Lecture for the Diplomatic Corps in the Hague, the Netherlands, 2000

 

• Aboke Girls, abducted Children in northern Uganda

Scoop, Belgium, 2000/Fountain Publishers, Uganda, 2001

(also translated in Spanish, Italian and French)

 

• Open letter on Globalisation, The Debate

Cabinet of the Belgian Prime Minister, 2001

 

• And then I had to bite to death my brother

Houtekiet, 2007

 

 

Freelance Work for:

 

• KRO Television (the Netherlands)

• VPRO Radio (the Netherlands)

• BRT Radio (Belgium)

• NOS Television (the Netherlands)

• Vrij Nederland (magazine in the Netherlands)

• De Wereld Morgen (Belgian magazine)

• De Standaard Magazine (Belgium)

• Uit Magazine (Belgium)

 

African Countries covered:

 

• Kenya

• Tanzania/Zanzibar

• Somalia/Somaliland

• Sudan

• Ethiopia

• Eritrea

• Rwanda

• Uganda

• Burundi

• Democratic Republic of Congo

• South Africa

• Zimbabwe

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Botswana

• Zambia

• Nigeria

• Liberia

• Sierra Leone

• Mali

• Burkina Faso

• Togo

• Ghana

• Congo-Brazzaville

• Central African Republic

• Equatorial Guinea

• Benin

• Côte d’Ivoire

• Gabon

 

Languages:

• Dutch

• English

• French

• German

 

Awards:

 

• Dick Scherpenzeel Award, Minister of Development Cooperation (the Netherlands, 1994)

• Media Person of the Year (Belgium, 1994)

• Woman of the Year (Belgium, 1995)

• Prize of the Dutch Daily Press (the Netherlands, 1995)

• Award of the Catholic University of Kortrijk (Belgium, 2001)

• Gulden Spoor Award (Belgium, 2004)

• Guinness Power of Goodness Award (Uganda, 2004)

• Vocational Service Award for outstanding utilisation of Vocational Skills as a Journalist to the benefit of the community in need (Rotary Club Kampala, Uganda 2004-2005)