French Journalist Florence Shaal Revisits Beslan.
By Bela Tsugaeva 31 March 2006, Beslan, Russian Federation : Florence Shaal, a famous French journalist, recently revisited Beslan to take part in the inauguration of a Family Centre opened by UNICEF, jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of North Ossetia, and thanks to French, German and Italian contributions. Mme Shaal was with the people of Beslan during the terrifying three-day school siege of August 2004 and witnessed the horrors that engulfed the small town. She shot a documentary about that tragedy and published a book «I will never forget Beslan», which helped her to mobilize resources for the creation of a Family Centre. “I admire the people of Beslan,” said Florence Shaal during the inauguration of the Centre. “You went through the tragedy with such dignity. I want you to know that the people of A delegation including H.E. Jean Cadet, the French Ambassador to Florence Shaal recognized many of the faces at the opening ceremony. She remembered them by name. And they looked at her with esteem. They spent many dreadful hours together. She was with them during the most difficult time in their lives, gave them her support - the only thing she could offer - when hundreds of people, most of them children, were carried out from the gym of the School Number One dead or wounded. When she returned to “I hope the Centre will help rehabilitate families in Beslan,” she said standing in front of the board with the name of the Centre written on it, BINONTÆ, meaning ‘a family’ in Ossetian. “I want to believe that the Centre will help families unite, be stronger and happier, so that the children of Beslan will smile again,”she added. The delegation also met the Head of the North Ossetia Government, Mr. Mamsurov, with the Committee of Beslan Mothers, who lost their children during the tragedy. Together, they visited School Number One and the cemetery of the victims of the school siege.
Related pages Latest news A Rehabilitation Centre for Families is Opened in Beslan Press Releases: UNICEF marks first anniversary of siege Children's photo exhibition opens Real Lives: A visit to Beslan Rehabilitation Photo workshop Soslan's story Alina and Alana The Pukhayev family Fact sheets: UNICEF support for Beslan UNICEF in the North Caucasus
|
