It has been feeling like spring here for the past month or more – I think since January.  When I began work again after the Christmas break there were a couple of articles to translate (for which I do the work on the computer) and two or three chapters for something else in English for me to edit.  Somehow, I have lucked out and am one of the two people in the house to have a balcony – and over the past 2 1/2 years I’ve done cuttings from almost every place I’ve been.  It’s all hit or miss – and fortunately, there were a number of hits.  My room and balcony face the east, so on many mornings I was able to sit out there in the sun in a t-shirt and shorts (with sunscreen and hat……) and do the editing (and then, as the sun shifted and my balcony fell into shadow, I would move inside and add a couple of layers of clothes). 

my balcony, when I open door from my room

looking back at my room

where I edit, with an electric espresso maker a friend gave me

I kind of love my balcony.

I am not sure if I ever wrote about William before now.  I thought I had, but I have just spent a pleasant hour+ skimming through blog posts from the past 10 years and didn’t see anything about him.  Maybe it was just a mention in one of the rambling posts or maybe his story was just something I’ve intended to write over the years and never got around to actually completing. 

I met William back when I was on the refugee camp and involved with the school for the deaf and also with other people with disabilities (so, over 10 years ago).  He was a friend of some of my Liberian colleagues at the school who asked if maybe I could help him and his family out.  His mother had gone through some serious trauma during the war and had never recovered psychologically.  The children were working hard to take care of their mom and each other as well as complete their education. 

I had received an “open” donation (meaning I could put it to the use that I thought best).  William and his sisters were struggling especially to get the medicine their mother needed, so she often went without it.  I asked them to figure out what they could do to bring in some income, so they prepared a small business plan (selling cold, “pure” water) through which they could earn enough money to keep the business running, pay a few bills, and get their mom the medicine she needed.

I’ve stayed in touch with William over the years.  He has been trying to continue his education.  Things have changed on the camp in many ways and for a variety of reasons, it has been hard for them to go back to Liberia.  I was able to introduce him to Joe (I most recently wrote about Joe about half-way through this entry), who has since been able to make the arrangements necessary for William to continue getting his mom the meds she needs. 

William’s goal is to continue his education, and over the years he made some great efforts to save up some money and begin university.  Since then, some donations have come in a couple of times which also helped him to continue.  About a year ago, he and a couple others I know who were also trying to pay their way through University were all trying to look for the funds they needed. I had no idea where to turn, and suggested that since many of them have connections through Facebook and other sources that they write their stories.  I suggested, no matter how difficult the story might be, to keep it positive – “this is my goal; this is my dream” – and then they should share it with the people they are in touch with, and ask 15 people to help with $50 (for example), rather than looking for one big donor, and it could add up. 

This is a slightly shortened version of the story William wrote:

THE EPISODE OF MY LIFE

I am William, a Liberian refugee residing on the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. I come from Lofa county, located in the northwest of Liberia. During the war in Liberia, Lofa had been one of the main battlefields, and unfortunately, my family and I found ourselves in the heart of the battle zone.  During the war, my father was the target of an attack.  While the rebels were searching for him, all the children found their way to hide in the bush.  The rebels ended up slaughtering him and three of them raped my mother, beat on her and left her helplessly bleeding in the room. When she gained a little strength, she managed to escape into the bush where some neighbors eventually came across her and took her to a nearby town for rescue. We got the information and quickly rushed there; unfortunately, our mother could not recognize any of us as her children. She was actually out of her mind. The rebels threatened that upon their return they would not spare anyone.  We had no alternative but to flee to Monrovia, where one of our uncles lived. Unfortunately, after one month, he was falsely accused of being a dissident collaborator from our county, arrested, jailed, and executed. The military forces began to secretly hunt his immediate family members.  Since we knew no other family in the city and we were being hunted as a family, we fled to a nearby town from where, within a week, we managed to find our way to the Ivory Coast border.  We were fortunate to cross the border and stay in Ivory Coast as refugees.  Due to the language barrier in Ivory Coast, we faced many challenges and finally decided to continue our journey to Ghana, since Ghana is an English speaking country. We arrived in Ghana on the 22^nd of February, 2002, where we have stayed till now. Refugees in Ghana were responsible for providing for themselves (food, medication, and housing, etc.).  After a month with five family members in exile, we needed to do something for survival, so we engaged ourselves in gardening, growing potato leaves, garden eggs and other vegetables for consumption and sales.  The yield of our crops, however, was meager, so to supplement it I worked on a construction site by offering cheap labor.  I later engaged myself in voluntary community services, such as clean-up campaigns organized by the Sanitation Board in my community. I also organized extra classes for school children for little or nothing just to help sustain the family.

The Ebola outbreak also began in my home town in Liberia where many of my family members, such as nephews, uncles, nieces, aunties, etc. were victims of the virus attack. Worst of all was that my uncle, who saw me through high school by paying my school fees, was attacked by the ebola virus and died in a short time.  My sorrow and pain worsened.  In despair, my future looked blurry and uncertain and there was no one to look to for assistance. In the midst of the challenges I refused to give in or give up, so I decided to get a college degree. A big dream that seemed impossible to achieve! I took the university entrance exam, passed it and was given admission to study Bsc. Accounting.  A missionary was able to find assistance for the tuition for my first semester.  I am trying to complete a 4-year BSC course in administration, option Accounting. I believe strongly that completing this course will enable me to find gainful employment, allowing me to care for my family and to contribute towards the reconstruction and development of post-war, and now post-ebola, Liberia.  I also have a yearning desire to return home and establish a family, but this cannot be easily done without having skills or being educated. Liberia needs educated, trained, and skillful people, and I do not want to return to Liberia empty-handed.

Recently, William gave me an update:

I am left with three academic semesters.  I am studying Financial Accounting (BSC).  As usual I will not like to be afraid of the amount in question.  Whatever little or much that can be mobilized I will be grateful for it.  I will also continue to seek for help locally.  No amount is too small.  All I need is to complete.  There is actually a lot to do back in Liberia.  Many of my friends that completed with BSC in the same field went to Liberia but could not easily get job because they never had the technological aspect of the course.  If I have the opportunity, I will like to blend those soft ware courses with my study (like Quick book, Sage, and Tilly) to finish at once and go home. I hope and pray that my desires come to the expected end. 

I am actually ashamed of the numerous problems I have alone, but God knows why and all shall be handled at the appointed time by God….

I sometimes have the tendency to procrastinate.  A few years ago, I told William that I didn’t know where to get the money from, that I was tired of asking friends and family.  I had told him that at some point in the future I will be leaving the current organization I’m with and get a paying job and then could probably just help him on my own.  So, I advised him to just wait (yes, bad, but expected advice from a procrastinator).  I was afraid that he might start something and then be unable to finish it due to the lack of funds.  

But, I’m happy William didn’t follow my advice.  He used the savings he had, which were enough for a semester, and began studying.  Since then, it’s mostly worked out that he has been able to find what is needed, although he has had to skip a semester here or there.  I’m impressed by him.  He’s doing incredibly well, struggling, but not giving up on his dream.