I believe our ability to engage in academic research on this topic will enhance our work as researchers, teachers, funding agencies, policy makers and front line service providers. From a research perspective my epistemology, or world view of research, is a social constructivist approach. This approach has its foundation in a very practical approach – specifically how post secondary youth make meaning out of their own experiences.  If we are to understand the complexities of developing opportunities for youth affected by conflict or disaster, then we must explore our research from those who are living the experience. Whether they are issues of peace building, counseling, employment transitions, community development, or conflict resolution, to name a few, we must hear it from the lips and hearts of those who are living the experience. We need to hear from the youth, their teachers, their advocates and those who are involved in any way in the delivery of education to youth.

This research-focused approach will provide clear direction as to the challenges and opportunities faced by youth in countries affected by conflict or disaster. The potential is great. I believe we are on the cusp of something wonderful. I believe we are at a point in our collective lives that history will look back on and say that the opportunity for academic research, to inform our practice in the area of youth in countries affected by conflict or disaster, was never more needed or welcomed.

Adolescent mothers are often prone to live under difficult situations such as lack of adequate financial support, limited access to education, and poor health. Poor early child healthcare, coupled with the mother’s lack of knowledge to prevent repeated pregnancies, pose a higher risk to the survival of their children under age five. The promotion of family planning and seeking early child healthcare can increase the rate of child survival.

Over the last three years and a half years, I have been working as a trainer with the Children Assistance Program Inc. (CAP) Merlin-Liberia sponsored Youth Drop in Center (YDIC), Sexual Reproductive Health project. Its objective is to reduce the prevalence of STIs, HIV and teenage pregnancy among young people in Monrovia and to increase their access to quality, youth-friendly sexual reproductive health services.

Among the many projects we have successfully implemented thus far, the Adolescent Mothers Birth Spacing and Early Child Health Care Seeking Practices project stands out to me. The goal of the project was to enable adolescent mothers to be able to explain the causes and preventions of malaria and diarrhea, to discuss the importance of seeking early childhood health care, and to identify signs and symptoms that indicate illnesses of their children – allowing them to seek early medical care.

The most important findings noted in this project showed that 57 (76%) out of the 75 adolescent mothers were sent away from home by their parents and were living with their grandparents or other relatives and friends. The highest education level attained was 9th grade and over 50% of the mothers had little or no opportunity of returning to school. These mothers stand greater risk of repeated pregnancy as about 95% of them have no, or misleading, information on family planning (contraceptives). We also found there was delay in early child healthcare practices greatly due to poverty, as many of the adolescent mothers depend on petty trade for survival.

Childbearing often leads to difficult experiences for adolescent mothers and their children as young mothers take on responsibility that they are unprepared for. In addition to training in health practices, skills training can empower young mothers financially and provide them with sustainable life skills.

In Thailand, where I am from, I have seen so many children lift trays of vegetables on their heads to sell around the city with no time left for play or for study. I strongly believe that young people, no matter where they are from and who are they, all have the right to both work and learn.

In the city where I am from, many youth crossed the border from Burma to find jobs in Thailand’s factories. I met a couple of the girls from Burma at the Baptist Church and they told me that religion had kept them away from danger and the dark side of the city. One of the girls, who was 17-years-old, said she was happy with her work and her basic education at the religious school because she made enough money to send back to her family in Burma. I was confused at how their families could allow such young teenage girls to cross the border by themselves in order to live in a new place and work in factories.

In reality, life held very little choice for them as the 17-year-old girl was sent illegally to Bangkok by an agency. I was scared for her as she headed to Bangkok. For a couple of months, I waited until she contacted me to tell me about life as an illegally employed youth in the big city. All of the money she made was sent to her family and it made me think, “couldn’t we support hard- working, illegal young people around the world instead of just naming them “illegal”?

This has to do with one particular country’s policies, but wouldn’t it make a big difference if we could offer illegal youth a lawful career along with education? Perhaps, this support could be volunteering at school in exchange for free education or free meals. What if the youth around the world no longer had to face discrimination and trafficking? Would they have more time to study and play? Would they have more time to become the world’s leaders? And would my friends have to be sent away to live with strangers and work from 6 a.m. until 1 a.m. the next day?

I was invited to speak at one of the plenary sessions on the issue of education. Thankfully the details of what I was supposed to speak on were rather vague. After I reviewed the summaries of what the other speakers were going to present and the draft declaration of the forum, I noticed that one issue was spectacularly absent – education in emergencies. As an advocate on this issue, I am used to attending meetings, with well-intentioned people, where very little or no attention is paid to this very important issue at all.

As a former displaced person and refugee, this issue is personal and close to my heart. So I decided to make education in emergencies the centerpiece of my fifteen minute presentation.  I spoke about the often -cited “youth bulge” as a potential for conflict or chaos and argued that such a theory only holds when you have an uneducated youthful population or fail to sufficiently invest in them. In all of my numerous discussions with young people around the world, in and out of conflict zones, one issue trumps all as the number one priority – quality education. My first point was the importance of education as a conflict prevention and/or disaster preparation mechanism.

My second point was on the key ingredients for education in emergency contexts. From my personal experience, emergencies have a profound psychological effect on all in the population, including students and teachers. An education package should therefore include appropriate means to address these issues of trauma and the psychological wellbeing of teachers and students alike.

Success and achievements of my work

The HIV & AIDS pandemic is a global issue, gradually wearing out the young fabric of our society; CHANOL through a magnificent advocacy campaign themed “Breaking the silence to lift the burden of secrecy” decided to train HIV infected persons in advocacy and public speaking encouraging them to go public in the disclosure of their HIV status with the aim to minimize the issue of stigma and discrimination against People Living With HIV (PLWHIV). This event, the first of its kind to be held in the city center, brought together a cross section of students, journalists, policy makers and dignitaries. This is a success story for my work. Impact of this work includes how those with doubts about the HIV pandemic have come to believe the existing reality of HIV & AIDS. Those with negative perceptions of PLWHIV changed towards more positive perspectives and those considering Voluntary Counseling and Testing services less important decided to muster the courage to get tested and appreciate that there is still hope to life even if diagnosed positive. Finally, there were signs of encouragement in discussions on the succesful integration of PLWHIV into society.

Through a UNFPA sponsored project that seeks to reduce teenage pregnancy, STDs and HIV & AIDS through the provision of and access to condoms, I was part of a team responsible for the posting and refilling of condom vending boxes at 300 public centers (clubs and street corners) for easy access to condoms. Approximately 300 cartons of condoms are distributed on a weekly basis. This project has drawn the attention of the government, leaving them with no alternative but to take charge of the refilling process through the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

Inspiration for my work

FPAL, as the oldest Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (SRH&R) organization in Liberia, complementing government efforts in the provision of quality, accessible and sustainable SRH services including family planning also envisages a society that has the opportunity to have children by choice not chance, where evey person enjoys good health, free from HIV & AIDS. Predicated upon these core values, my work as a program volunteer for these months surrounds training and awareness on the consistent and effective use of family planning methods, particularly barrier methods. Spearheading training on condom negotiation for the Christian Association of the Blind brought together 50 young blind individuals from some African countries including Liberia to be trained as trainers on the consistent and effective use of condoms. This activity really inspires my work the most in that marginalized and disabled people, who most often are not incorporated in SRH & R programs, utilize this opportunity and are enthusiastic to learn and willing to impart knowledge to others. This experience really motivated me to work more with such groups.

Some of the biggest challenges facing the provision of education in my country

Challenges facing the provision of education especially in the sphere of Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights education are to be found within the traditional norms that forbid the discussion of sex and its implications amongst certain groups of people (youth) and locals which hinders the provision of SRH&R services to young people thus increasing SRH & R including HIV & AIDS related complications on a daily basis. Further, the inclusion of sex education in our national curriculum is missing and we, as social workers in this field, are often restricted by school administrators as to which health/SRH topics to discuss with and lecture students during our outreach work. Finally, the provision of the basic educational package on health, in particular SRH & HIV, is not available for disabled people. Hence, the vulnerability of these people is exacerbated when, due to ignorance, they are prone to risky sexual behaviors.

How being a member of INEE impacts on my work