Nature...

You know, when you work in hospitals during the week, it's nice to get away on the weekend, just to relax. Also, traveling allowed me to eat some Western food. I love African dishes but sometimes you just want a burger...or a salad (good luck finding lettuce at the market).Weekends meant traveling, beaches, reserves, baboons,...

Oh and today symbolizes the start of the Winter Olympics....Ghana has one athlete (ski)...Go Ghana!

Liberian Refugee Camp

The two Liberian civil wars forced a lot of people to flee their country. Many Liberian refugees can be found in Ghana, not far away from Accra.The Buduburam refugee camp is huge and has a population of approximately 40,000 people.Because some refugees have been there for almost 30 years, actual small shacks have been built, so people don't live in tents. There is a school and a small football field.
In the 1980s, Liberia was headed by Samuel K. Doe. The first Liberian war started in 1989, when arbitrary rule (Doe suspended the constitution and formed an authoritarian regime called People's Redemption Council.) and economic collapse culminated in a rebellion against Doe. National Patriotic Front of Liberia militia, led by Charles Taylor's, overran much of the countryside and entered the capital in 1990. Doe was executed, leading to a civil war. The rebels split into several groups and started fighting each other. A peace treaty was signed in 1995 and Taylor was elected president. However, a second civil war started in 1999 when renewed anti-government fighting started in the north. In 2003, Taylor eventually stepped down.

UN peacekeepers moved into Liberia in 2003 to help implement a peace deal and make the country secure both for civilians and for a transitional government. However, the years of civil war left the country in ruin.
Taylor has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone, where he allegedly aided rebels who murdered civilians.

Around 250,000 people were killed and many thousands more fled. As of 2004, at least 200,000 Liberian refugees were living in surrounding countries. An estimated 15,000 children fought in Liberia's civil war.
In Ghana, many refugees cannot find work so many opened small businesses in the camp. But a lot of them are unemployed. They get help from relatives living abroad, including the US and Canada. Most Ghanaians have accepted the Liberian community but finding a job is difficult nonetheless. Some NGOs also teach the refugees new skills and organize workshops in an attempt to improve people's chances. Some kids can also get scholarships.
As I already told you, some of the refugees told me their stories. A midwife at the Maternity Clinic saw her husband being killed and her son, then a toddler, was heavily burnt when a soldier threw boiling water on him. Others had to leave parents behind and now live in the camp without knowing if their relatives are still alive. Some of them would like to return home but with Liberia's economy in ruin they're almost better off here. Some even tried to go back but were forced to return to Ghana when they realized that life in Liberia was too difficult. Some refugees were victims of renewed violence once they returned to Liberia. At the camp offers some kind of security. More over, some got married and have kids in Ghana.

UNHCR headquarters and cars:

HIV/AIDS is quite an important problem in the camp. Conflict always renders refugees more vulnerable to HIV transmission. The UN High Commission for Refugees, which set up the camp in 1989, is heavily present. Confidential testing is available on the ground and is heavily encouraged. There are counselors on the ground, including Liberian counselors. However, stigma is fierce so counselors try to raise awareness in schools and churches. One of the main problems is that HIV tests are expensive and cannot be done in the settlement. Moreover, running water and electricity are not available, even at the settlement clinics. Poor sanitation, malaria, malnutrition only make the situation worse.

Workplaces

The Malnutrition war and Rehabilitation Center at the Children's Hospital:

Here are "after/before" pictures that the staff put up on the wall. The "before" pictures are pretty sad but then you see them a few weeks later and it's very hopeful. Only kids with HIV have no chances of getting better.
I saw this little girl while I was there and now she is tall and chubby. It's great to see.

Here they try to tell parents about a child's nutritional needs: soja beans, fish, vegetables etc. They make sure the parents can afford it.

Here is the kitchen at the Rehab center where the nurses supervise mothers
Mayme and her mother. A few weeks ago she was still pretty skinny buth the rehabilitation center is amazing. Currently, they staff is trying to get a car so they can pick up young patients and their parents who cannot afford transport to the hospital
















Margo Maternity Home and Clinic, a rural hospital in Krodua. Again poverty was very visible as mothers were saddened at the idea of having another child when they already had three or more. Self-induced abortions were not rare.
This is the OP, where they first admit patients. For example, pregnancy tests are taken outside then patients go to the consulting room. Chickens and cats roam around. There is also a labor room and a laboratory where blood tests are taken.















The nurses

Connie's Clinic and Maternity Home. A lot of anaemia cases, leading to high maternal death rates. But the head midwife there was amazing. She was really trying to convince mothers to get tested for HIV. She also tried to explain to women that family planning is not dangerous. She tries to tell them about the consequences of big families when money is scarce.



Latifah



























Labor room. Very basic.






























Me and the staff















Trying to reduce child mortality levels by encouraging immunisation. You can also see family planning and safe-sex posters.