Maurice Graham in Africa
This is his weekly report
This is Maurice Graham's first report from Africa.
He will be submitting weekly reports, depending on his ability to submit
them from where he is in Africa. As you will see from this first report,
he is in the heart of the people of Ghana and the need there is great.
Week One:
This has been an emotional week. One to make us even more grateful than
we thought we could be previously. Working with "The Economic Development
Foundation," based in Southern California, a group of Doctors, Nurses
and Counselors took to "Camp Buduburam" to help the Liberian Refugee
as a result of civil war in Liberia for more than 10-years.
Some of the residents have been in this camp for 10 years. The war is over, however, many are afraid to go home for fear of retaliation and none of them have money other than what relatives and friends have been able to raise. It is a desperate situation. No one can work outside the camp as Ghana itself is suffering with inflation and few jobs for its people.
The conditions in the camp was unsanitary with makeshift structures for shelter with food and clean water difficult at best to find. The stories touched our hearts, and as I write this, I am relieving some of the pain I still feel when I think of them. We were there to provide medical relief primarily, however, we brought bread and a few food items, not enough to go around to all, but it was the best we could do. One of our members related this story: "As we were passing out bread, the children were mobbing the dispensers and he noticed one boy who was back a second time to get more. Pushing to the front, literally climbing over others, he was stopped by our staff and asked, Did not you get bread already? He answered Yes, but my grand- mother can not fight for food so I must get more for her. We were moved to give him two whole loafs.
We received a letter from the camp before the "EDF" party returned to the US, thanking us, saying we served more than 1,550 people. They asked that we return soon. This is the 3rd trip to the camp by "EDF" in the last two years. We would like to return in November if possible. There are more than 40,000 people in this camp and there are other smaller camps. We left all the medications we brought out to the camp for the nurses to dispense in our absence.[]
Maurice Graham
(photo, David Palmer)
Maurice's Itinerary
My itinerary as follows: 1st Week - "Ghana" Gateway to Africa and the site of a "Humanitarian Relief " effort in the Liberian Refugee Camp" Buduburam, located near Accra-Ghana. 2nd Week - Doing workshops and speaking engagement in the Area of the capital city of Accra. 3rd Week - Moving to some of the remote areas and work shops at the University in East Legion. 4th Week - A short return to the US for the 4th of July weekend. 5th Week - Back to the continent, this time to South Africa to present a workshop entitled "A grass-root success story, from the US to Ghana and beyond" at the International Aids conference in Durban South Africa. 6th Week - "Safari" in South Africa and a trip to Johannesburg of Cape town.
