The Lightness of Being...in Meetings All Week!

We had a busy week of meetings, conferring with all of the “stakeholders” in the medical clinic at Buduburam, checking in with the Nutrition Program Director and the counselors working there, visiting the sites for all of the additional programs with which Point Hope is involved, including the day care, the garden, the poultry farm, the Woman Empowerment skills training center, and Save Our Souls nutrition center and school.

There are many decisions to be made here.  With the United Nations withdrawing from the camp, turning their projects over to local NGO’s, halting some feeding programs and gradually easing out of the responsibilities they have had here for the Liberian refugees, there is potential for a large hole in the camp’s general  health and welfare, not to mention the infrastructure of camp life, as many interdependent programs will be affected by this change.

I know, none of this sounds wildly exciting, does it?  I mean, it is more tangible to show pictures of babies and speak about hungry children and talk about the destitution of the camp.  That is all still here, although I am very happy to report the empty Children’s Ward I saw at the clinic!   Not one starving, malnourished child in the clinic receiving emergency care!  Many malnourished children at the Nutrition Center, many children receiving food and not still not gaining weight, largely due to sanitation and education issues.   

So, instead of being able to connect with the people and play with the children, we got to meet with the care providers and the men and women behind the scenes that are on the ground here daily.  They work in heat and discomfort and some harsh conditions to help the Liberian refugees here at Camp Buduburam and to give the same unconditional care to the local Ghanaian people who live in this district, many who are in the same situation as the refugees in the camp…hungry, malnourished, in need of medical care and hard-pressed for sustainable employment.  In these meetings, there are representatives of many backgrounds: doctors, nurses, administrators, Catholics, Protestants, caregivers, nutritional counselors, social workers.  Also many countries are represented, including Ghana, Liberia, France, Columbia, and the U.S. 

What an honor it was for me to meet and pray and discuss the future with these fine folk!! I know I have many more meetings to come, discussions to have, decisions to make; I know this isn’t as fun and relaxing as knitting and laughing with the ladies I met on the last trip, but call me crazy, we are having a GREAT time!