Dominic Meiklejohn

Part of UK in USA [New York]

8th March 2011 New York, USA

Video: Pushing the Elephant – International Women’s Day 2011

Guest video blog by Rose Mapendo and Elizabeth Mandel.

Rose Mapendo is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was arrested during the violence in the late 1990s and imprisoned with her seven children, while her husband was murdered.

Rose moved to the United States after fleeing the DRC and co-founded Mapendo New Horizons, an organisation that protects and cares for forgotten refugees.   The organization works to ensure refugees have easy access to health care, protection and security.

Elizabeth Mandel is a filmmaker and the co-producer of “Pushing the Elephant”, which details Rose’s life in the DRC, move to the United States and her mission for peace.

The British government understands the importance of assisting the people of the DRC.  Last week, the Government announced that the DRC is one of 27 countries where UK Aid will concentrate resources and impact.  As the DFID website explains, “we will focus our efforts on delivering more for poor people – promoting economic growth and wealth creation and helping build peace, stability and democracy. Improving the lives of girls and women will be a major priority”.

(The story is told in her own words, and is not a reflection of UK Government policy.) 

About Dominic Meiklejohn

I was born in Woking, outside London, in 1967 and attended Merton College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. After university, I worked for HM Customs and Excise…

I was born in Woking, outside London, in 1967 and attended Merton College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

After university, I worked for HM Customs and Excise before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1990. After working for the European Community Department, I learned Polish and began a posting at the British Embassy Warsaw, where I headed the British Know How Fund for Poland (1993-96). In 1997, I worked for the OSCE Mission in Albania, before heading up the India team in the South Asian Department of the FCO. In 2000, I was posted as First Secretary to the British Embassy Warsaw, with a particular focus on European Union issues in the run-up to Poland’s accession to the EU. In 2003, I returned to the UK as Deputy Head of the Environment Policy Department. From 2004-2005, I led the FCO’s Knowledge Management Programme. During this period, I led two deployments of the FCO’s Consular Rapid Deployment Team– to Sri Lanka, after the tsunami in 2004 and to Pakistan, after the earthquake in 2005. From 2006-2007, I served as Deputy Consul-General, Basra, Iraq. From June 2007 I worked with the FCO’s Change Unit.

I took up my current appointment on 22 January 2008. My wife Joanne and I are the proud parents of Olivia. Outside of the office, I cycle around Manhattan, play soccer (football) and, when parenting duties allow, enjoy the cultural riches offered by New York. I try hard to understand baseball.

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