Friday, June 3, 2011

The Day I Broke- Buduburam Refugee Camp, Ghana

I woke up this morning with a plan in my head to write a post to teach about language and culture here on camp. At 2:00 today that plan was shattered by a life changing moment.

Everyday in Buduburam, I have gotten multiple requests, some for food, some for money some for marriage. Everyday there has been an endless line of people at my door, asking to be my friend and asking for a little something to eat or asking for some money for water. It is left up the the international volunteer community to break the dependence of refugees on volunteers for donations. This is accomplished by funding sustainable businesses for the refugees and providing business planning and support.

With this in mind I have turned away many requests for money, suggesting they use the skills that they have told me about to apply for jobs and find work. Every day I have to look someone in the eye and tell them that I can't give them what they want and that there is too much need and not enough support. Today at 2:00 I broke and couldn't say no.

Grace invited me into her home and sat me down in a chair. Her child Blessing lay on the cement floor sweating and crying; her other child Favor toddled naked through the one room house.

Grace placed my hand on Blessings forehead. "She is burning; she has malaria and I have no money for the medicine. The children have not even had a bath today. We have no water. I can't even give my child a bath to wipe the sweat off and cool her fever." One tear rolled down Grace's cheek, then another from the other eye. "I can't buy them food; I don't even have ten cents to buy a gallon of water to wash Blessing." Tears rolled down her face, and she wiped them away in embarrassment.

My stomach lurched and knotted, and my eyes felt hot as they wetted with the tears that I held back. I thought about how full my stomach was after breakfast. I thought of the food waiting for me at home. I thought about how every other request for money or food had been from a smiling Liberian, but this one had come from a mother ashamed that she could not provide for her two children. I felt sick. I felt ashamed of myself. I felt ashamed for every bit of food and money I had ever wasted.

The full truth of the camp hit me hard:

She had nothing in her name; she lived in a rented house; her previous business had failed; she had five cents in hand and nothing else. She lives in a community toxic to her children's well-being. She lives in a community so saturated with supply that there is no money to be made by businesses. She, her children, and the 10,000 other refugees in Ghana are growing up in a community that holds no future, no chance for advancement, and few escapes to success. She and many others are trapped here; they are unable to afford the trip home to Liberia and unable to survive in Ghana. Many children were born into this camp with nothing, and many will die here with nothing.

1 comment:

  1. I believe that you will face many difficult decisions while you are in Africa. I trust you will look people in the eye and know when to help and when your help will be a hinderance to those asking. Do not feel ashamed by what you have because you are blessed. But please remember you are also a blessing.
    mom

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