Annalena Tonelli
Encyclopedia
Annalena Tonelli was an Italian
Roman Catholic volunteer working for 33 years in the Horn of Africa
focusing on tuberculosis
and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, campaigns for eradication of female genital mutilation, and special schools for hearing-impaired, blind and disabled children .
In June 2003, she won the Nansen Refugee Award
, which is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
to recognize outstanding service to the cause of refugees.
In October 2003, Annalena Tonelli was killed in her hospital by Islamic Somali gunmen belonging to Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
.
, Romagna
, Italy. She had a University degree in Law.
After "six years of service to poor people of the suburbs, to orphan children, mentally or physically disabled or abused kids" of her own town, in 1969, the then 25-year-old Annalena Tonelli went to Africa
supported by the Committee Against World Hunger of Forlì, that she had helped to start its activity.
At first, she worked as a high school teacher in Wajir
, a semi-desert region in North-East Kenya
, inhabited by nomadic people of Somali
origin. The dismal local community health condition pushed her into medical studies: she qualified in Kenya for tuberculosis
treatment, in United Kingdom
for Tropical Medicine and Public Health, and in Spain
for leprosy
.
Already in 1976, Annalena Tonelli became responsible for a World Health Organization
(WHO) pilot project for treating tuberculosis in nomadic people. So, Annalena invited nomadic tuberculotic patients to camp in front of the Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled she was running with other female volunteers who joined her to serve poliomyelitic, blind, deaf-mute, and disabled people. This approach guaranteed patients' compliance in taking the therapy over the needed six-month treatment, and it was adopted by WHO as DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy Short) .
In 1984, following political and inter-clan
clashes, the army of Kenya
started a repression campaign against Somali clans in the Wajir area. The public denunciation of Annalena Tonelli helped to stop the killings. Arrested and taken in front of a martial court she was told that the fact she escaped two ambushes was not a guarantee to survive a third one, and she was forced to leave Kenya.
Annalena Tonelli went to Somalia
, first in Merca
(where, in 1995, it was assassinated Graziella Fumagalli, an Italian medical doctor working for Caritas International) and then in Borama in the Somaliland
region. Here, her work included: a 250-bed hospital, a Special Education School (with 263 students) for deaf, blind and disabled children (a unique school in all Somalia), a program for eradication of female genital mutilation (infibulation
), cure and prevention of HIV/AIDS, aid to outcasts, orphans and poor people.
In June 2003, Annalena Tonelli won the Nansen Refugee Award
, which is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
to recognize outstanding service to the cause of refugees.
In October 2003, Annalena Tonelli was assassinated at the tuberculosis
hospital she started in Borama
by Somali Islamic gunmen of Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
group.
Two weeks after Tonelli's assassination, Dick and Enid Eyeington
were murdered in their flat at the SOS Sheikh Secondary School
in town of Sheikh
in the Somaliland region of Somalia
by the same terror cell. The killers were reportedly arrested in 2004, tried and sentenced to death under a local court.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
Roman Catholic volunteer working for 33 years in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
focusing on tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, campaigns for eradication of female genital mutilation, and special schools for hearing-impaired, blind and disabled children .
In June 2003, she won the Nansen Refugee Award
Nansen Refugee Award
The Nansen Refugee Award formerly known as the Nansen Medal is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to individuals or groups in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees. It is one of the most prestigious awards in the United Nations system...
, which is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
to recognize outstanding service to the cause of refugees.
In October 2003, Annalena Tonelli was killed in her hospital by Islamic Somali gunmen belonging to Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya or AIAI is a defunct Islamist militant group in Somalia that was added to the U.S. list of terrorist organizations on September 24, 2001...
.
Biography
Annalena Tonelli was born in 1943 in ForlìForlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
, Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
, Italy. She had a University degree in Law.
After "six years of service to poor people of the suburbs, to orphan children, mentally or physically disabled or abused kids" of her own town, in 1969, the then 25-year-old Annalena Tonelli went to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
supported by the Committee Against World Hunger of Forlì, that she had helped to start its activity.
At first, she worked as a high school teacher in Wajir
Wajir
Wajir is a town in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is the capital of Wajir County.-History:A cluster of cairns near Wajir are generally ascribed by the local inhabitants to the Madanle, a semi-legendary people of high stature, who are associated with the Somali Ajuuraan. A. T...
, a semi-desert region in North-East Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, inhabited by nomadic people of Somali
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
origin. The dismal local community health condition pushed her into medical studies: she qualified in Kenya for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
treatment, in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for Tropical Medicine and Public Health, and in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
.
Already in 1976, Annalena Tonelli became responsible for a World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) pilot project for treating tuberculosis in nomadic people. So, Annalena invited nomadic tuberculotic patients to camp in front of the Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled she was running with other female volunteers who joined her to serve poliomyelitic, blind, deaf-mute, and disabled people. This approach guaranteed patients' compliance in taking the therapy over the needed six-month treatment, and it was adopted by WHO as DOTS (Directly Observed Therapy Short) .
In 1984, following political and inter-clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
clashes, the army of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
started a repression campaign against Somali clans in the Wajir area. The public denunciation of Annalena Tonelli helped to stop the killings. Arrested and taken in front of a martial court she was told that the fact she escaped two ambushes was not a guarantee to survive a third one, and she was forced to leave Kenya.
Annalena Tonelli went to Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, first in Merca
Merca
Merca is a port city on the coast of southern Somalia, facing the Indian Ocean. It is the main town in the Shabeellaha Hoose region, and is located approximately southwest of the nation's capital, Mogadishu.-History:...
(where, in 1995, it was assassinated Graziella Fumagalli, an Italian medical doctor working for Caritas International) and then in Borama in the Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
region. Here, her work included: a 250-bed hospital, a Special Education School (with 263 students) for deaf, blind and disabled children (a unique school in all Somalia), a program for eradication of female genital mutilation (infibulation
Infibulation
Infibulation is the surgical modification or mutilation of the genitals in males and females, particularly the foreskin, labia minora and labia majora...
), cure and prevention of HIV/AIDS, aid to outcasts, orphans and poor people.
In June 2003, Annalena Tonelli won the Nansen Refugee Award
Nansen Refugee Award
The Nansen Refugee Award formerly known as the Nansen Medal is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to individuals or groups in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees. It is one of the most prestigious awards in the United Nations system...
, which is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
to recognize outstanding service to the cause of refugees.
In October 2003, Annalena Tonelli was assassinated at the tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
hospital she started in Borama
Boorama
Borama , also known as Borame, is a city in the northwestern Awdal region of Somalia.The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Djibouti and Ethiopia. One of the biggest towns of the British Somaliland protectorate...
by Somali Islamic gunmen of Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya or AIAI is a defunct Islamist militant group in Somalia that was added to the U.S. list of terrorist organizations on September 24, 2001...
group.
Two weeks after Tonelli's assassination, Dick and Enid Eyeington
Dick and Enid Eyeington
Dick and Enid Eyeington were British aid workers to Somalia. They were murdered in the northwestern town of Sheikh, Somaliland region of Somalia in 2003.- South Africa :...
were murdered in their flat at the SOS Sheikh Secondary School
SOS Sheikh Secondary School
The SOS Sheikh Secondary School is situated near the town of Sheikh in a remote part of the northwestern Somaliland region of Somalia, and a three hour drive from the region's capital, Hargeisa. The once-renowned boarding school was established in British Somaliland...
in town of Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
in the Somaliland region of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
by the same terror cell. The killers were reportedly arrested in 2004, tried and sentenced to death under a local court.
External links
- UNICEF People - Annalena Tonelli
- Aid worker shot dead at hospital in Somalia - The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- Annalena Tonelli found her bliss in becoming one with the poorest - Awdal News Network
- Bandits murdered two aid workers - BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...