Visit to Buduburam!

Hello to Everyone!
Well, it's already close to the weekend and yet I have not posted last weekend's blog - once again, slow process here in Ghana! But here it is in full detail!

I went out on Friday after school to the Buduburam Refugee Settlement where I will be teaching come January. I arrived at about 4:00 in the afternoon, met up with Alfred, Harrington and Amus, the three young gentlemen who I have been in contact with for the last few months. We wasted no time in meeting some of the children I will be teaching. Brilliant kids! When I arrived, they were having a forum regarding a number of issues, and to hear them speak was motivational. I am serious when I say some of these children have more wisdom then their corrupt governmental leaders. But that is a story I will save for another day!

I have to admit that my experience with the kids was somewhat heartbreaking. Being that these are Liberian refugees, you have to expect that there are going to be some traumatic stories. But to see children with missing limbs is something that you can read about for years, but to witness it is horrific. I have one young girl named Sarah who had her right arm chopped off by rebels during the civil war. What a courageous and beautiful spirit! I have so much admiration for these children! Once again, there will be many stories and personal memoirs to share with you as time goes by.

After my enlightening introdution with the children, the four of us headed to a small restaurant for a plate of chicken fried rice. Know, imagine sitting at home in pitch black trying to collect your rice on your fork and get it into your mouth without dropping it all over the floor. Fun times when it's "light's off". No power in the settlement, no running toilet system - just foul smelling latrines, and 40, 000 refugees wondering the camp looking for a good time on a Friday night. INTERESTING EXPERIENCE!!

The four of us arrived back at my small shack and spent close to 3 hours talking about my new friends horiffic experiences during their country's civil war. I have never felt so moved in my life. It's one thing to read of personal experiences, but to have people sit with you and share their tragedies is something totally different. These are young men who watched their fathers be shot to death, their mothers and sisters be raped and killed, and their villages be burned to the ground. My friend Amus managed to escape the rebels, but he had to walk 36 days through the jungle with hundreds of other Liberians to reach safety in neibouring Guniea. I thought of each of these stories all weekend long. It effects you in a way I can't explain. And these stories need to be told - there simply isn't enough told about Africa!! So I will undertake a bit of journalism come January - I want to document these people's stories and share them with as many people as I can!!

I have posted a few pictures of the settlement - it has been up and running since the start of Liberia's first civil war in 1989. Some of the children I met were born on the camp. They have never even experienced life in their native land. And it simply isn't safe to return for many. You may think as you look at the photos that it hardly resembles a refugee camp. It is well built with solid structures and housing simply because it has been established for so many years. Families have been able to save enough money to build proper houses to shetler their families. Not the typical tin roofed shanty towns you see in most African refugee camps.

The photo of the young gentleman is Alfred, and he is the project coordinator for RESPECT Ghana. A wonderful young man and a gentle soul. He has committed his life to bettering the lifes of his people! I can't wait to spend more time with him and the others I have come to know!















Stay tuned! I have many more pictures to post - providing the power situation here in Accra!

Take Care and Enjoy Your Weekend!
And let's all reflect once again on how lucky we are to be Canadian!! I have always been a proud Canadian, but I become more proud and more grateful each day!

Peace!
Love Heather