The recovery of Liberia continues. It is so great to keep coming back here and see a country which continues to recover from the tragedy of war. The streets are cleaner, development continues, people smile.
Each time I come here, there are different groups of doctors working here. This month, I am working with a resident from MGH and two OB/GYN docs from NYC. One of them spent an entire year working in Liberia. She knows alot of people here, and we have met some of her acquaintances.
Tonight, we were invited to have dinner tonight with a Liberian family. This was an incredible privilege for me. The family lived in a very nice house, very close to the hospital. They made dinner for us, and offered us much club beer and wine! They were incredible hosts. We talked about our work in LIberia, the recovery of the medical system, and eventually about the war in Liberia. The very touching thing is how many times they thanked us for being here. One of the hosts pointed out the fact that they don't know us, we are not Liberian, and we have chosen to leave our families, and the comforts of Western life to come here to Liberia to help them. It was very meaningful.
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It seems that everyone in Liberia has a story to tell about the war. If you are able to sit long enough, and share a few drinks, and listen long enough, you hear their stories. They are incredible stories, unimaginable to those of us who live in such privilege and security. I sat and spoke with a Liberian man who spent most of his life as a refugee. He lived in a refugee camp in Sierra Leone during the war.
The story becomes more interesting. He was a refugee in Sierra Leone. He is very talented musically. Instead of begging and stealing, as most of the children do to continue to survive, he decides to use his musical talents. Because of his musical talent, he gets employed by a youth gospel group. He makes a good salary, and is able to support some of his family members. More importantly, the job keeps him off the streets. He then becomes involved in the reintegration of child soldiers in Sierra Leone. He works with children who were involved in the civil war. THese children were often orphaned or separated from their families, sought out by militia groups and forced into military service. They were often drug addicted, and suffered from the trauma of being forced to kill. Eventually, they were captured by the Sierra Leone Government, and put into rehabilitation facilities. This man worked with these children, and used his musical talents to rehabilitate them.
The converstion becomes more interesting. Before fleeing to Sierra Leone, he witnessed his father being assassinated on the beach at Mamba point He cannot return to Mamba point ever, because he recalls seeing his father shot there. The story becomes more interesting . He is Charles Taylors' nephew. He fled to Sierra Leone for safety. His family was a target due to it's political naure. He professes some of Charles Taylor's innocence, but upholds some of his wrong doings. His Aunt is Charles Taylors wife. She lives in the US, and her major concern is the fact that her assets have been frozen. Whenever he returns to Liberia, he is required to stay in a guarded compound for safety.
In Liberia, everyone who has lived through the war has a story.
