By Somalilandtimes network

Hargeysa, Somaliland, February 11, 2006 – The Norwegian Ambassador to Kenya, Elisabeth Jacobsen, arrived in Hargeysa on last Monday to visit a number of projects being implemented in Somaliland with funding assistance from the Norwegian Foreign ministry.

Shortly after her arrival, Ambassador Jacobsen went to Hargeysa’s public hospital where she inaugurated a new medical ward for the treatment of women traumatized as a result of female genitals cutting, which is widely practiced in Somaliland. This new unit together with a gynecological ward was funded by Norway.

During her visit to the hospital, Ms Jacobsen met with Mohamed Hussein Abi head of the Community Committee for Hargeysa hospital, Yassin Arab the hospital’s director and Abdul-wahab Nakruma, from the ministry of Health’s Hygiene department.

The Norwegian Ambassador’s visit coincided with the international anti-FGC day celebrations which the international community has declared as the 6 th of February. The occasion was observed for the first time in Somaliland on last year.

Jacobsen said the Norwegian funding for the projects implemented at the Hargeysa hospital were channeled through Care International. The Norwegian diplomat also visited projects in other areas of Hargeysa.

Norway is also one of the donors that provide assistance to Somaliland through other international organizations and UN agencies. The Norwegian Refugee Council also operates in Somaliland. The NRC provides assistance to the displaced and returnees as well public schools.

On Monday evening, Ambassador Elisabeth Jacobsen had paid a courtesy call to Somaliland’s Foreign minister Edna Adam.

After the arrival of the Norwegian diplomat was reported in the Tuesday edition of the Somali language daily Haatuf, our sister publication, a number of readers called to express their admiration for the Ambassador’s courage to come to Somaliland at a time when the whole Muslim world was upset by recent cartoons published on prophet Mohamed by Danish, Norwegian and other European newspapers.

The Norwegian Ambassador left Hargeysa for Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon.

Source: Somaliland Times