These pictures and video were taken between June and September 2008 by Stephanie Clough, who travelled to Liberia as part of an internship for the International Rescue Committee as part of GPIA's International Field Program. Most of the visuals capture life in and around Voinjama, the provincial capital of northwest Lofa County. Lofa County was the site of heavy fighting during Liberia's 14 year civil war, and up to 90 percent of the population of Lofa was displaced as refugees in neighboring countries such as Guinea and/or as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Liberia, especially around Monrovia. The beach scenes are from Thinkers Village, an area on the outskirts of Monrovia. Swimming on this beach is considered to be somewhat dangerous because of the strong tide and the different angles at which the waves crash onto the shore, several people drown there every year.
In Liberia, many schools were completely destroyed and sometimes used as posts for the various militias. She notes that there was schooling provided in IDP/ refugee camps, but for those who stayed in the bush and did not seek refuge in established camps, there was no schooling. In general, children's education was severly distrupted and after the war when children/teenagers and even adults went back to school, it was difficult for the older students to be in the same grade as younger children.
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