Dateline ACT

Liberia 0106

Teen begins the journey of recovery from war

By E. Timotheus Kamaboakai, Liberia YMCA

Liberia, West Africa, May 16, 2006--Traumatized both physically and mentally by Liberia’s war, Joseph Allen is one of many young people being supported through the counseling service of YMCA in Liberia—a long-standing partner of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and member of the ACT Liberia Network.

Joseph is 18 years old and a fifth-grade student at the Slipway Community School, although for a while, he had to drop out of school as he could not afford the fees. He has lived with his uncle since the death of his father in 1990 following a long illness and then his mother six years later during childbirth.

Joseph was a good football player, but his dreams of becoming a football star were shattered when he lost his right arm during the attacks on Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, by rebel forces in 2003.

“We went to the U.S. embassy compound to avoid the gunfire in our area. Bullets were flying everywhere, and mortar rockets landed every minute. We slept in the compound. That night, there was a heavy downpour of rain and everything, including our mattress, got wet,” he says.

“The next morning, the shooting started again. One rocket after another started landing in the compound. We laid flat on the ground. A big rocket landed a few yards away from us, hit my two friends and wounded my right arm and leg.”

“I was immediately rushed to the MSF [Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders] clinic in Mamba Point, but the bleeding was too much. The doctor bandaged my arm and legs, but the blood kept pouring out. I was then taken to the JFK Hospital in Sinkor, which was overcrowded with wounded patients.”

“It was five days before a doctor came to see me. By then, most of those lying beside me had died, and my arm had gone bad. I was told that I would die if my arm was not cut off. They couldn’t find any of my relatives to discuss this with. Even my brother thought I was dead. My only choice was to agree, because I wanted to survive.”

The physical and mental scars of this horrific experience remain fresh. Joseph has gone from being an outgoing teenager to looking frail and dejected. He often speaks as though all hope is lost. He says that he feels ashamed to be among his friends with just one arm, so he prefers to stay at home on his own. Joseph attends school in the afternoon hours. During the rest of the day, a friend has allowed him to rent a bicycle to other youngsters in the community as a means of raising meager funds to buy food, as his uncle earns little income working at a store in Paynesville.

The staff of the YMCA, however, hope that Joseph will recover and one day lead a happy life again. And although Joseph is often sad, he does have dreams—to one day become a medical doctor and help other disabled people see life positively and lead a happy life.

The YMCA has been sponsoring his education - paying his school fees, which allowed him to return to school, providing a uniform and books, as well as supporting him through the organization’s psychosocial counseling service. Joseph will also be part of a delegation of the YMCA which will shortly accompany Liberia’s new president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, on a one-day visit to the Republic of Libya.

E. Timotheus Kamaboakai is the information officer of the Liberia YMCA.