A New Book from Bread Member Jenny Moore on Humanitarian Law in Africa

Moore and two women from The Centre for Development and Peace Education in Sierra Leone in October 2010

It's not often that you hear the words "humanitarian" and "law" in the same sentence, but Bread for the World member Jenny Moore manages to find a thread that ties the two concepts together in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa that recently faced internal strife. Jenny, a Regents Professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law, offers case studies in Uganda, Burundi, and Sierra Leone, in her recently published book Humanitarian Law in Action within Africa.

"[The book] makes a compelling argument that durable peace with justice is possible - even in the aftermath of brutal armed conflicts," said Karen Musalo, Clinical Professor of Law & Director, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, University of California-Hastings College of the Law.  

"It will be of interest to anyone searching for a conceptual understanding of international law norms relevant to periods of armed and post-conflict. But perhaps, more importantly, Humanitarian Law should be required reading for anyone who wants to read a persuasive argument that a better world is possible." 

Moore has had ample experience working with refugees in sub-Saharan Africa, having served on the staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in West Africa. “I was in Rwanda after the genocide (in 1994) with the U.N., and that was very impacting, as you can imagine,” she said in a recent interview with The Albuquerque Journal.  

Secondary school students in Bombali District, in Sierra Leon’s Northern Province, greet Jenny Moore in October 2010.

The Journal recently published a great article about Jenny and the impact she has on the students who take her classes. As the article points out, Moore inspires students to use their degrees to advance human rights.  

Moore, a member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, is a very down-to-earth and compassionate person.  Jenny has a passion for any efforts to address global poverty, and is generous with her time when given an opportunity to talk about this subject.  She has spoken on several occasions at Bread for the World gatherings about the Millennium Development Goals.