Recipient of the Rex Foundation's 1999
BILL GRAHAM AWARD
This award, established in memory of pioneerng pro-ducer and founding Rex board member Bill Graham, himself a refugee, is designated for organizations and individuals working to assist children who are victims of political oppression and human rights violations.
From 1991-1997, the West African country of Liberia endured a horrible civil war. Over half the population of approximately four million were killed, and nearly one million fled to neighboring countries. A poor country to begin with, Liberia was largely destroyed.
While an uneasy peace has been restored and elections held, hundreds of thousands of refugees remain outside of Liberia, for a variety of reasons, including fears of violent reprisals upon return, ill health, and lack of essential reintegration education and funding. Approximately 15,000 people, including 8,000 children under the age of 15, remain outside of Accra, Ghana, in the Buduburum Liberian Refugee Camp. Conditions at Buduburum are desperate, with decrepit housing designed to last several months being jerry-rigged for years, regular torrential rains which wash away swaths of land and housing, a lack of proper sanitation, and acute shortages of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine.
War Child Europe and West Africa began supporting the children, in particular, at Buduburum in 1997, through on-the-ground provision of water, oral hygiene, a mobil medical unit, and a supplementary feeding program designed to encourage camp school attendance.
Since the spring of 1999, War Child USA has inherited responsibility for the programs, both fundraising and implementation. At the same time, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is pulling out of the camp, leaving War Child USA as the main supporter, and hope, of these "forgotten refugees" of Liberia.
War Child USA is designating the Bill Graham Memorial Award to support the most vulnerable children at Buduburumm Camp. Funds will be used to at least partially address several serious concerns immediately: the provision of emergency medicines and the provision of water. A major cause of disease in the camp is the lack of potable water and work will be undertaken to repair the water holding tanks which need to be relined, and also ensure the continued purchase and supply of safe water to the most vulnerable residents of the camp. If available, a small portion of the funds will be used for recreation and music for the children, and for a small stipend to the young Liberian adult refugees who serve on the War Child Camp Committee.
War Child USA, 2437 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009 · 202/588-9672 · www.warchildusa.org
