Putting Theory into Practice in Africa: ICAR Liberia Field Study, June 2010

This past summer, thirteen students – seven undergraduates and six graduates – along with faculty advisors Patricia Maulden and Lisa Shaw, traveled to Liberia to participate in a hands-on field experience. During their stay, students and faculty immersed themselves in the post-conflict context, working directly with local NGO personnel and community members in three parts of the country: Monrovia (the capital), Tubmanberg in Bomi County, and Buchanan in Grand Bassa County.

 The work was neither glamorous nor comfortable; it was, however, extremely difficult and potentially life changing. As one student commented, “We laughed. Some of us cried. Five of us survived a flood in a small town where it never floods. We were annoyed with some of what we were seeing. We were frustrated when solutions seemed so simple yet so out of reach. We felt a lot in just a short month and I would not change the negative feelings that arose because that’s life and this field is hard work.” The majority of the field study experience focused on direct engagement with the rigors of peacebulding - often twelve hours a day, six days a week.

 Students and faculty advisors learned from local experts as they in turn added to local organizations’ knowledge and skills fulfilling the expectation of reciprocity. The three student teams, each named for peace in an indigenous language, met with the Traditional Council of Liberia; local traditional leaders and dignitaries; and individuals from the US Embassy, University of Liberia, and the Peace and Security Pillar of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs. The groups also organized a local parade and celebration for the Day of the African Child; facilitated reunification of street children with their estranged families and communities; and developed and conducted trainings as requested by their NGO partners, Don Bosco Homes and Christian Health Association of Liberia.

 The trainings presented conflict mapping as a tool to assist in the exploration of the root causes of conflict, mediation techniques, pre-intervention assessment strategies and practices, dialogue and structured conversation around community concerns, and problem solving. Many of the agency personnel had not previously thought about mapping as a way to assess what might be going on, what is known, what is unknown, what needs to be known, and how to gain that information. Mapping, in turn allowed Liberian practitioners to engage in reflective practice, rethinking their responses to challenges, and not taking the same approach to a problem simply because that is the way it had always been done.

 Participants to the training began to think beyond the norm and toward what might be more feasible and useful. After the final day-long training, conducted for NGO partners and their invited guests, David Koneh, Director of Don Bosco Homes and Joe Wiah, Deputy Director, expressed their gratitude for the work the of the ICAR team. They remarked that they could never have afforded capacity-building of this caliber. They also conveyed that with the students working directly with agency personnel, Don Bosco Homes completed four months of casework in three weeks.

 The field study also increased the capacity of students, as reflective practice was an every day activity. Each of the three teams learned about humility, faced emotionally charged situations, struggled with issues of justice and human rights, and became more comfortable with feelings of inadequacy as they worked alongside their Liberian counterparts.

 At daily evening de-briefs, students reflected, shared dilemmas, sought colleague suggestions and support, and came together as a community of peacebuilders. Throughout, students experienced first-hand the hard realities of post-conflict life, the difficulty people face trying to deal with the past as well as the present, and frustration over the gap between the rich and the poor, the government and the grassroots. The field study immersed students and faculty in day-to-day life in post-conflict Liberia – altogether an unforgettable experience.