crazymalc.co.nz - Home Page of Malcolm Trevena

Living with Refugees

15th June 2006
Some snippets of conversations I've had with people:

This is Jessica^*. Her father was killed in the war and her mother abandoned her. She is doing very well in school though. Have a look at her report card.

Jessica is about ten years old and is a student at the school I teach at.
They first killed my uncle and do you see these scars? That is where the rebels beat me with their rifle butts. I couldn't get any medical attention for three days. I can only walk for about 100 meters before the pain is too much.

This guy was about twenty-two years and has been in the camp for about fifteen years. So he must of been beaten when he was about seven...
I witnessed wickedness in the most extreme. People being taken for no reason and their houses burnt down. I assume they were later killed. They had no political persuasion and were not soldiers. They were just trying to survive the war.

This was from a lady at a Peace Cell I attended. A Peace Cell involves a group of Liberians talking about their experiences in the war and how to rebuild Liberia.
Why would I want to go back to Liberia? I having nothing to go back to and armed rebel groups still have a presence. The only way the U.N. will get me to leave would involve batons and me kicking and screaming.

Opinion seems to be divided on whether or not Liberia is safe. There are still U.N. peacekeepers present in Liberia.

The U.N. is trying to disband the camp. They have a target of returning 12,000 refugees this year. Word on the street is that they will lucky to get 2,000. There are a total of 42,000 people in this camp.

The current UN deal will get you:
- $US 5
  It would cost the UN $US210,000 if everybody went back. It seems like an absurdly small amount of money. I pay my washing lady a little under $US 5 to do my laundry...
- Free Cooking Utensils.
- A 20kg baggage allowance.
- A pat on the bum as you head off into a shattered country.
You look just like my Uncle Jerry (huh?) who was murdered by the rebels.

Hmm. Scary stuff. Everyone in the camp has stories like this. Some much worse. Some a little better.

It's hard to know how to react when someone tells you their harrowing story. I try to look them in the eye and somehow share their pain. Even that seems a little pathetic though. Their world is so foreign from my own.

When I return from Africa, I'll have no money, no job and no assets of note. But what I do have is options as I am a well educated white guy. The job options are many and my country has a social welfare system if all else fails. I have no intention of getting a normal job by the way. I plan to earn money as a teacher in South Korea so that I can fund another volunteer stint somewhere else.

Just hearing one harrowing story is enough to make you cry. Multiplying this by 42,000 is more than anybody could handle. So you do what the Liberians do. You laugh. You have fun. You try not to think about it.

Volunteer Programs
But what can you do about the pain and misery that surrounds you?

Every one of the seventeen international volunteers at CBW (Children Better Way) is trying to do the same thing. Make a difference in the peoples' lives. Volunteer programs include:

Education
When I went to a Peace Cell meeting the other day, the question was asked about what needs to happen to make Liberia a better place. The word "Education" was mentioned over and over.

CBW offers educational classes at the Pre-Primary and Primary levels.

This is where I am focusing my attention.
Water and Sanitation
Camp is a dirty place. Carrie recently related a story about an early morning walk. She was headed back from the local fee (football field). She had to keep her eye on the feet of the person in front of her. She felt that failure to do so would induce vomiting at the sight of the human waste that was scattered along either side of the path.

Volunteers regularly empty the rubbish bins around camp, participate in education campaigns and clean out the clogged drains. It's a hard and dirty job that makes a big difference around camp.
Micro-loan
Small loans are made to worthy participants in order to make their businesses sustainable. I had some clothes tailored by a micro-loan recipient.
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS is a huge problem in Africa. Last year, between three and four million people died from AIDS - most of these in Africa. About 5% of the people on camp have HIV.

Volunteers headed out everyday and walk up to people on the street and talk to them about HIV/AIDS and give them the legendary condom demonstration.

Prostitution and drug use both exist on camp. The young girls seldom use condoms as they will get more money this way. Underage prostitution is a big problem. We were regularly visited by a fifteen year old prostitute. She has been banned from the house for two weeks for misbehaving.

The mistaken beliefs about HIV/AIDS is mind-numbing at times. Highlights include:
- AIDS stands for an American Idea to Discourage Sex.
- AIDS can't be real as it only exits in Africa.
- You get AIDS by wearing a condom.
  Apparently the Americans are trying to wipe out the African people by putting the HIV virus in the lubricant of the condom...
- It is the women's responsibility as they are the ones who are always looking for sex.
  It is true that some women seek sex in exchange for food and the like.
Fund Raising
The fees that CBW receives from GVN (Global Volunteer Network) make up just about all of its income. If GVN were ever to pull out of the camp, then CBW would collapse.

Efforts are being made to make CBW a sustainable entity. Seminars are being held to show the local volunteers how to raise money for CBW.
IT Center
CBW owns a computer lab with about twelve computers in it. Regular classes are held to help the locals with their computer literacy.
Recreation
Regular recreational activities are organized for the kids.

^*No real names were used on this page.

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(c) 2005 and 2006 Malcolm Trevena.
All the stuff on this site is written by me, Malcolm Trevena. Feel free to link to this page. Heck, you can even copy stuff from here if you want. Just make sure you sight me as a reference.