Buduburam Refugee Camp

Leon's sister Brigitte is in Ghana visiting. She is such an angel. One of those people that you watch and just wish you were as powerful as she is, and I mean powerful in the strong character kind of way.

The three of us rose early (6:30am) Monday morning and went to visit the Buduburam refugee camp, a camp that has over 20,000 refugees, most of whom are Liberian. Brigitte's husband had found a tour guide named Jordan who agreed to show us the camp. He also arranged for a group of four women from the community to come and tell us their stories and their needs.

The experience was fascinating and humbling. These people have built a functioning community from nothing. They came to Ghana to escape war, and have built their lives over the last 20 years from hard work and sacrifice.

Some facts about the camp:
It has been around for 22 years, with some of the inhabitants having been there the entire time.
The refugees do not receive Ghanaian health care or education, but perform these themselves.
Many children in the camp have not ever been to Liberia.
On June 30th, they are being given 90 days to leave or integrate before being considered illegal aliens and deported.
They are only allowed to bring 30kg of stuff to reestablis their lives in Liberia.
They will be given $300/adult and $200/child to start their new life in Liberia.
None of the houses they built or infrastructure can be sold or rented, but instead belongs to the Ghanaian government and will be taken.

I was shaken by the experience and humbled by the resilience of the people there. I have written a letter tonight and will apply as a volunteer with UNHCR (High Commision on Refugees) tomorrow. I hope there is some position that I can fill, or some way at all that I can get involved.

If not, I am thinking of ways I can unofficially benefit the community by helping them make decision about what they want to do by communication options to them. There is so much fear and distrust in the community towards Ghana and the UNHCR simply, I believe, because of a lack of effective and clear communication, and the appearance of having no choices.

Ghana has been full of these "aha" moments where I have seen things that really stretch my heart and challenge the pretty-pink-and-blue version of the world that I have in my head.