Peace has come to Liberia after 15 years of civil war. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning home to a country destroyed by war. Marie Garteh is one of the returning refugees the Danish Refugee Council is helping to restart her life in Liberia.

Marie Garteh is 35 years old and lives in a small village called New Yekepa in Nimba County in Liberia, very close to the border of Guinea. She has six children at the ages of 14 months, 6 years (twins), 8 years, 10 years and 12 years.

Marie has been a refugee in Guinea for 15 years of her life, having to flee twice due to the civil war in Liberia. She returned from Laine refugee camp in Guinea to New Yekepa in September 2006 and is now trying to rebuild the lives of herself and her children, but is finding it very difficult.

Their house in New Yekepa was destroyed during the war and she does not have the resources to rebuild it, so they are living in a neighboring village which is 1-1½ hour walk away from New Yekepa.

Her children are not in school because of the distance to the school and there are no medical facilities when she or the children are ill. Despite all of this Marie is a very strong woman, who finds time to fight not only for improving her own life, but to also act as a spokesperson for many in a similar situation as her.

Marie participates in a group of 25 women farmers’ supported by the Danish Refugee Council in New Yekepa. The group has received farming tools and various forms of seeds (corn, okra, bitter balls, peppers, beans, groundnuts, cucumber, and cabbage) and is being trained in farming practices, nutrition and hygiene.

In addition the Danish Refugee Council has assisted Marie with farming tools and 41 kg. of rice seeds for her own private plot. Marie plans that after the harvest she can sell the produce and make enough money to start her own little shop selling dry goods and clothes so that she can be able to rebuild her house in New Yekepa and provide for herself and her children in the future.

The assistance that the Danish Refugee Council is providing to Marie and 249 other women farmers as well as 1,336 other returnees is funded by ECHO.

 

Back to: News