Ghana's Refugee Population Hits 3000

THE REFUGEE population in Ghana has now hit 3,000 following the arrival of people from Cote D'Ivoire following that country's post-election crisis.

Before the arrival of the Ivorian refugees, the number of people fleeing their countries for safety in Ghana was 1,400.

This was disclosed during a photo exhibition in Accra organised by the UNHCR and the Canadian High Commission in Ghana to mark World Refugee Day on Monday themed, 'One refugee without hope is too many.'

The day is to honour the tenacity and courage of millions of refugees worldwide who have fled their countries in desperation.

Refugees are people who cross the borders of their countries because of fear of death and persecution and the UNHCR have over the years been involved in their protection all over the world.

Paintings chronicling the bravery, resilience and dreams of some refugees and asylum seekers living in Ghana were displayed at the photo exhibition.

Ghana has since independence played host to refugees and others seeking asylum from their countries of origin.

Trudy Kernighan, Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana commended Ghana and other West African countries for their openness and offering safe havens to those in need of protection.

In 2010 Canada contributed more than $49 million to the UNHCR to help the organisation protect and maintain refugee populations. It resettled over 12,000 refugees in addition to the strong domestic asylum system.

'Canada has a long tradition of protecting and assisting refugees,' she said noting that the country is committed to working with UNHCR partners in Africa and beyond to support international refugee protection programs.

Sharon J. Cooper, UNHCR representative noted that there are over 37 million people worldwide who have been displaced by war, threats on their lives or survival.

She expressed her appreciation to the government and people of Ghana for their hospitality saying 'over 10, 000 of the Ivorian refugees in Ghana are cared for in the homes of Ghanaians.'

She launched a six month campaign to mobilize funds for an educational trust to sponsor refugees in their educational endeavours.

'Many refugee children drop out of school before reaching the senior high school level and for girls this means resorting to sex trades while it pushes more children into child labour… We have to lessen the burden of refugees that comes with displacement.'

In a speech read on behalf of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, he noted that many more people are escaping their countries not because of conflict but as a result of poverty and environmental degradation among other things.

Francis Adzamega, a 20 year old Togolese refugee at the Krisan camp at Elembele in the Western region whose education was interrupted because of a political crisis in his county, told the gathering he hoped it was a dream deferred and recited his rendition of the poem 'A dream deferred' by Langston Hughes .

'What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore—and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over—like syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

I believe my dream will not dry up like a river. It will one day wash over me like rain and like showers of blessings.

I will sit in my office and have a family and I will thank God,' Mr Adzamega said of his dream.