Nana Kofi Acquah, AfricaNews photoreporter in Budumburam, Ghana
The Liberian Refugee Women in Ghana have rejected the initiative by the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and UN Refugee Agency to integrate refugees into local communities in Ghana, where they have been living for years.
Women at the Budumburam refugee camp are holding a peaceful sit-in demonstration since 19th Feb. and are demanding either repatriation with assistance for a new life back home, or resettlement in the US, Canada or Australia under the Family Reunion and Priority One Programmes. This is the second peaceful demonstration held since November 2007.
The group is demanding a thousand US Dollars as part of a voluntary repatriation package to enable them go back to Liberia and start afresh or they be resettled in countries that can afford to take good care of them but the current offer from the GRB, UNHCR and UN, Ghana stands at 100USD per adult and 50 USD per child.
Approximately 17 years ago, Ghana opened it's boarders to several thousands of Liberians who were fleeing the fury of the blood-thirsty trio Charles Taylor, Prince Johnson and Samuel Doe. As at today, attempts at integration have been very poor, with very few of them having access to good education and career opportunities.
