Personal account

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Amara

Welcomed in by a centre for street children opened in 2004, Amara finally found his family again having been separated from them since the age of two.

Amara’s family was separated by the war, which at various times forced people to flee their homes. At the age of just two years old, Amara was separated from his parents. He left his home country Liberia and went to stay with his maternal aunt in Sierra Leone, in Kenema. Up to the age of ten he went to school and then went to stay with another aunt in Freetown. Abused by his aunt’s husband, he fled and found himself on the streets of the capital. For five years he lived in the town centre in Victoria park.

Today, in front of his new home, Amara tells his story: “I am very happy because I have finally found my family after living in Victoria park for several years. When I met Fatmata and John (psychologivcal support facilitators) for the first time they invited me to come and visit the youth centre. I was very wary and so did not go there directly”. This centre, set up by Handicap International helps street children by offering a professional ear to listen to their suffering.

Work on self-esteem is also carried out at the centre through improving visitors body image. Eventually, Amara came to the centre:

“Some time later I went to the centre. They then explained the centre’s activities. At the beginning I was only interested in having a shower and using the locker where I could store my things. Then I started participating in a group where we spoke about family and our relationships with those close to us. Then at Goderich (a fishing village where Handicap International has opened a second centre) I was asked to act in a theatre play. I had the role of the water diviner. I gradually started to express the desire to return home and take up my studies again...When I find my mother and father again in Monrovia, in Liberia, I would like to go back to school.

After all these years on the streets, I have lost not only my education but also the love of those closest to me. I would like to say to other people living on the streets to think about their future which will be much better if they are with their family. Because then we can think about the future, having a job, wife and children. Through the discussions in my group I realised the importance of my family. If I go back to school, I would like to become a minister to help the poor people in my country. There are many of them on the streets. Today I am happy. Plenti tenki (thank you very much)".