Nathaniel Parker's Chad diary
Concern blog Thursday, 26 July 2007
Overseas director discusses Horn of Africa food crisis - 8 Aug 2008
Ethiopia: "our worst year yet" - 5 Aug 2008
Resorting to desperate measures - 1 Aug 2008
Starvation darkens every door of stricken community - 31 Jul 2008
Technology and success in Kenya and Malawi - 29 Jul 2008
View All Posts
Actor Nathaniel Parker, together with documentary maker Paul Welsh, recently visited Chad with Concern Worldwide.
Having helped to front the Disaster Emergencies Committee’s Darfur and Chad Crisis Appeal, Nathaniel went to Chad to see the conditions there for himself. Over the coming week, Nathaniel will be a guest contributor to the editor’s blog. His diary, opinions and experiences will provide a valuable glimpse into what life is like for many thousands of displaced people in Chad.
Diary entry: day one
I think I should start by setting out my objectives for this trip:
One: raise money. We are up against it trying to raise enough money and get it working before the rainy season starts. Anything else is secondary. I am here for that reason alone. Sounds pompous, but it’s a way of reminding myself that I am not here for me. Sarah Molloy, Concern’s UK head of communications didn’t just think, “I know, let’s give Nat a trip to Africa!” I am glad she has found a use for me.
Two: We are not taking any sides. We are simply trying to deal with what the UN describes as one of the largest humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world
Three: be honest. Not as easy as it sounds, because it would be easier to bring a personality into the reporting, both here and in front of the camera. On a personal level, am I good enough to get the message across?
I am now at the hotel in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital. There is no lobby, no checking in, certainly no pool! I’m sharing a room with Paul Welsh, our cameraman and director. This is his 87th country. I don’t think I could be in better hands. I feel like I am at the top of a high rock, about to jump and I don’t have any idea of what lies in the very cold murky water beneath.
