November 20, 2003
By Joni Goheen

MONROVIA, Liberia - The 14-year war in Liberia has spawned a generation of young people who have no life experiences apart from armed conflict.

Some young people helped support their families by carrying arms in the war; nearly all of them were victimized by the conflicts.

An effort to provide normal life activities, recreation, and counseling for former victims and victimizers is a daily challenge for Sabah Thomas Dweh-Chenneh, director of youth and adult ministries for the Liberia Annual (regional) Conference.

Dweh-Chenneh works at places such as the Fendel Internal Displaced Persons camp, where more than 60 percent of the residents are young people. The United Methodist program at the facility some 20 minutes from Monrovia includes opportunities for recreation, study and counseling.

On one recent visit, Dweh-Chenneh brought two soccer balls, one for the girls and one for the boys. "Sometimes by just creating a situation where the children can play, the energy release alone can be therapeutic, especially when activities are in the context of Christian love and care," he explained.

"Expending this kind of energy was previously only accompanied by violence," he said. "The balls that we bring to them symbolize that we Liberians need to play together and not fight each other.

"Sports and study create an environment in which we can help the young people deal with the trauma most of them experienced in war or in running away from conflicts," he said. "Most of our counseling is done in groups where young people share similar experiences."

Dweh-Chenneh said his ministry is less tangible than others that offer material goods. "We don't have a warehouse full of food. We want to be their friends, to get to know them, to know their problems, to play with them, to pray with them and see how we can help them through counseling.

"A lot of these children have been through terrible times that interfered with normal developmental stages, and sometimes the violence messed up their self-esteem," he said. "We are helping them learn that the future is in their hands. They can't rebuild our country by simply sitting in a camp for displaced persons."

Rebuilding a war-torn country can be a lengthy enterprise, noted James Oliver Duncan, president of United Methodist University in Monrovia. A rehabilitation program established in Nigeria in 1969 operated until 2000, he said.

Following the war, the government established rehabilitation centers, counseling centers and extensive psychiatric services. "Liberia has quite a great task before it," Duncan said. "Our concern should be with the children, the young folks, who have not learned anything else or seen anything else for the past 14 years but war (and) violence."

While Dweh-Chenneh understands the daunting task that lies ahead, he is undeterred. He has seen success firsthand.

"About seven years ago, I was languishing in a refugee camp. While I was there, people from this department conducted these same ministries with young people in the camp," he said. "Due to their exercises and information in their workshops, I started to think about how I could come home to make contributions in my own country."

After four years of study in the United States, Dweh-Chenneh returned to work with young people who are wrestling with problems similar to those he had in a similar camp. "I have been there," he said, "and I know exactly what they are going through."

United Methodist News Service
Joni Goheen is a freelance writer living in Morrison, Colo.