Traumatized both physically and mentally by Liberia's war, Joseph Allen is one of many young people being supported through the counseling service of YMCA in Liberia — a long-standing partner of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
Joseph was a good football player, but his dreams of becoming a football star were shattered when he lost his right arm during a 2003 rebel attack in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. He said,
We went to the U.S. embassy compound to avoid the gunfire in our area. Bullets were flying everywhere, and mortar rockets landed every minute. We slept in the compound. That night, there was a heavy downpour of rain and everything, including our mattress, got wet.
The next morning, the shooting started again. One rocket after another started landing in the compound. We laid flat on the ground. A big rocket landed a few yards away from us, hit my two friends and wounded my right arm and leg.
I was immediately rushed to the MSF [Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders] clinic in Mamba Point, but the bleeding was too much. The doctor bandaged my arm and legs, but the blood kept pouring out. I was then taken to the JFK Hospital in Sinkor, which was overcrowded with wounded patients.
It was five days before a doctor came to see me. By then, most of those lying beside me had died, and my arm had gone bad. I was told that I would die if my arm was not cut off. They couldn't find any of my relatives to discuss this with. Even my brother thought I was dead. My only choice was to agree, because I wanted to survive.
The physical and mental scars of this horrific experience remain fresh. Joseph has gone from being an outgoing teenager to looking frail and dejected. He often speaks as though all hope is lost. He says that he feels ashamed to be among his friends with just one arm, so he prefers to stay at home on his own. Joseph attends school in the afternoon hours. During the rest of the day, a friend has allowed him to rent a bicycle to other youngsters in the community as a means of raising meager funds to buy food, as his uncle earns little income working at a store in Paynesville.
The staff of the YMCA, however, hope that Joseph will recover and one day lead a happy life again. And although Joseph is often sad, he does have dreams — to one day become a medical doctor and help other disabled people see life positively and lead a happy life.
The YMCA has been sponsoring his education — paying his school fees, which allowed him to return to school, providing a uniform and books, as well as supporting him through the organization's psychosocial counseling service. Joseph will also be part of a delegation of the YMCA which will shortly accompany Liberia's new president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, on a one-day visit to the Republic of Libya.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been supporting the work of the YMCA since the end of the conflict in 2003. Assistance has included rehabilitation and recreation activities focused on children and youth, and the provision of training in community based psychosocial services.
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