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The Story of Emmanuel Dolo

From Youth in Action (Volume One, November 2002), a publication by YouthActionNet

Emmanuel Dolo, now 22, knows well the plight of these children. He grew up in Liberia during the height of the civil war, during which his father was killed and his mother forced to flee the country out of fear for her life. At one point, Emmanuel spent more than six months living on the streets. As he describes it: "We had no means of going to school, and could no get food to eat... At times, we begged from house to house. We would get involved in child labor by carrying heavy loads for little or nothing. At the end of the day, we'd sleep under market stalls or make simple shelters."

It was while he was living on the street that Emmanuel was approached by Children Better Way (CBW), a voluntary, humanitarian organization providing a range of services to child victims of natural and man-made disasters. Through CBW's Let the Children Play program, Emmanuel received daily meals and academic tutoring. Before long, he was engaged by CBW to teach first grade classes to refugee children. When fighting renewed, Emmanuel fled the country and now works with CBW to help refugee children living in the Budumburam Refugee Camp.

Located about an hour's drive from Accra, Ghana, the Bubumburam Camp covers about 75 acres of near desert. It was created in 1990 to accommodate the flood of refugees entering Ghana from Liberia. The camp is comprised of rows and rows of mud brick dwellings.

According to Emmanuel, up to 20 people can live in a single two-room shelter. As a result of overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions, outbreaks of diseases such as cholera are common.

Emmanuel credits Semeh Roberts, CBW's founder, with helping him overcome the obstacles of his past and taking control of his future. "He's like a father to me," says Emmanuel of Roberts. While Roberts helped Emmanuel finish his high school education, much of Emmanuel's ability to work with the children can be attributed to his ability to relate their plight to his own. "Because I experienced this before, I use my own experience," he says, adding that the most rewarding aspect of his work is seeing the children "being cared for and the affect of CBW's work on their well-being and behavior."

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