AGATA DAVID: E164-DUA

2016: 

RECIPIENT: Agata Davis – Age 38

EMPOWERED BY: Helen Mitchel

Agata, her husband and their 2 toddler children barely escaped during the Liberian Civil War. The escaped with merely the clothes on their backs. They walked for weeks before arriving in the Ivory Coast (now know as Cote d’Ivoire) where they had gone to take refuge. After about 6 months of arrival, Agata and her family had advanced from the refugee camp life and were working and putting their lives back together in a foreign country. While there, they had 2 more children. Her husband suddenly died from a brief illness, leaving her with the 4 young children to raise. Agata told me ” I tried to put our lives back together for a few years, but it seems, the harder I tried, the harder things got. I could no longer deal with the hardship and decided maybe moving back home to Liberia may be the best decision. Home has to be better than living as a refugee in a foreign country when my husband was no longer alive.” Agata packed up the children with the hopes of returning home and being close to family and friends. She felt that the move would help them with the healing process. But unfortunately, since their arrival in Liberia, Agata has had a rude awakening. Some of the people that Agata was close to prior to the war, were killed or had died; some had escaped to other countries and several were unaccounted for. The few people that Agata saw (and knew), were changed people. She told me: “The war changed people oh Old Ma. Everyone is on their own. Everyone is for them self. But, this is home and we have to accept it and do what we can do to help our self. The children have not gone to school in the last 2 years because I’m not able to find work or something to do for me and the children.” Imagine her excitement when I told her that my dear friend, Helen Mitchel could help her! 🙂 These are photos of Agata receiving her new supply of selling goods to now be able to successfully start her very own business.