Background Introduction of the Camp

 

The Buduburam Liberian Refugee Camp was established  by the government of Ghana through the Ghana refugee Board and the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees in the 1990s.The camp in its earlier years of establishment as maintained by the government of Ghana  and humanitarian relief items in the form of food, clothes, medicines and educational materials where provided by the government of Ghana and some Christian organizations and churches.

 

UHCR became active in the welfare  of refugees from Liberia in the year 1993 until 1998 when UNHCR shut down all their services for refugees and they where left on their own until 2002 when they return.

 

According to the recent UNHCR and the Government of Ghana survey conducted in the year 2003,there are about 50,000 to 55,000 refugees from Liberia residing in the Buduburam Liberian Refugee camp.  About eleven percent are children between the years of 4yrs to 17yrs.Most of which are not in school due to their foster parents, gaurdians inability to meet their basic needs in terms of education, shelter, medication, food and clothing.

 

Just recently in the year 2002, UNHCR resumed operations for refugees within the Buduburam refugees camp.  However, their operations are targeted towards special groups which they classified as vulnerable taking into consideration women and children, aged men and women and the disabilities. Notwithstanding, most of their services can not reach the most needed groups as such Churches and local refugee organizations are taking the initiative to target those who are unable to benefit from the general UNHCR projects targeted for them.

 

Mission Statement of Healing Farm Children Missions:

 

Taking into consideration that children are the future generation of tomorrow's Liberia; the Healing Farm Children Missions in collaboration with churches of Christ and Christian organizations have taken the lead  to help initiate a self-help sustainable program in order to target helpless and hopeless children within the Buduuram refugee camp through seeking individual sponsors to assist them with their basic needs such as education, health care, clothing, parental care, and feeding.

 

Objective:

 

The objectives of the Healing Farm Children Missions is to:

 

-bring meaning and hope to the life of affected children,

-assist affected children by bringing them education, clothing, food, medical care,

-assist by providing individual sponsorship for each child.

 

 

Special Needs of the children:

 

according to a general survey conducted by the staff and members of the Healing Farm Children Missions, most of the children registered and catering to are without the following basic needs:

 

 

1.Education:  the organization in collaboration with the Womankind Association and the churches of Christ is now operating a primary school system in which those children are educated and trained in some basic skills. However, there is a need for additional educational materials for students and teachers and there is a plan on the way to build additional five classroom to be able to accommodate the children. We do pray that God will lead faithful people to help us go through.

 

 

2.Clothing:  Clothing is a major problem that all children on the camp are faced with. There is a great need for clothing to be sent down to be able to clothed a child who is going naked almost everyday.

 

 

3.Food: UNHCR has not being able to do its part in the provision of adequate food supply for children and as such  most children within the camp are left unfed almost everyday. They are left rarely with a single meal a day, which also in not balanced. There is a need to establish a local feeding center wherein food can be prepared for the children and they can assemble there for receiving their daily supply of hot prepared balance meal.

 

4.Medical Care: the camp is located at about 25 miles from Accra situated near the capital city within the Central Region at a land area of about 5 square miles with a population ever growing  between 50,000 to 55,000 refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone. Taking into consideration the population and the land upon which they are located, there is a constant outbreak of sicknesses and diseases such as chorea, malaria, diarrhea, disentry, and typhoid fever.

 

5.Housing Facilities: refugees are left with the art of building their own house without assistance from  the government of Ghana and the UNHCR.  Rather those who have relatives in the United States.  Those who do not have relatives in the U.S are left without housing.  Many children are left without housing and sleep in the street and market places, which makes them vulnerable to severe cold, child abuse, rape,etc.