Greetings,

As the new year kicks off, Just Neighbors will be starting a series of newsletters that will focus on different native countries of Just Neighbors’ clients.  In this series of stories, we hope to interweave the news and recent history of each country with the circumstances that have led clients to us.  This month we look at Sierra Leone in Western Africa.

Client Story

“I have found my children!  My children are alive!”  This was the thrilling news from our client, Mr. D. 

Mr. D. fled Sierra Leone in 1998 during the country’s civil war, just before rebels succeeded in a bloody coup overthrowing the democratically elected government.  A successful businessman in Freetown, Mr. D. had been imprisoned for providing financial support to a government opposition group.   He managed to flee during a jailbreak, and walked to a refugee camp in neighboring Liberia. 

Immediately upon arriving in the refugee camp, he attempted to contact his family.  His home phone line was no longer in service.  He did reach his aunt, who informed him that his mother had fled to a refugee camp in Guinea (which also borders Sierra Leone), taking with her Mr. D.’s son and infant daughter. 

Mr. D. entered the United States through Mexico and immediately applied for asylum based on being persecuted for his political opinions in Sierra Leone.  He continued to search for his family, but letters to his mother were returned unopened.  He was unable to reach any family member by telephone.  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross were unable to locate the family.

In Sierra Leone, the 11-year civil war ended in 2002, leaving some 50,000 people dead, with many others traumatized and forced to flee for their lives.  During the war, rebels burned villages, hacked off people’s limbs, and systematically raped women. The mother of Mr. D.’s children has not been heard from since 1998 and is presumed dead in the conflict.   

Ahmed Tejan Kabbah was re-elected President in 2002 and his Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won a large majority in Parliament.  Though many international monitors called the elections fair, there were numerous reports of irregularities. 

In July 2005, Mr. D. received the joyful news that a friend of his, in Guinea on business, had searched the refugee camp at Forecariah and located his mother and the two children.  The friend immediately took the family to call Mr. D., and he was able to speak with the children for the first time in eight years!    

Today Sierra Leone faces the task of reconstruction, along with the problems of poverty, tribal rivalry and official corruption that caused the war.  Mr. D.’s family has returned to Sierra Leone, and he sends them money regularly.  Just Neighbors awaits with him the approval of applications for his children to join him in the United States as asylees.  We will assist him to apply for his mother at the first opportunity, which will be when Mr. D. becomes a citizen.

With the 2007 election only months away, there have been reports of political parties intimidating opponents trying to campaign in certain places.  Police are bracing for possible violence, with the Director of Police Media saying he has put in place measures aimed at preventing violence during the elections this year.  We hope Mr. D’s son and daughter are able to join their father in the United States before the election.

Around the Office

January has been a month of transition at Just Neighbors.  Libby Fielder has now retired (though we have not all fully accepted this yet) and Linda Johnson, our new staff attorney, has hit the ground running.  In addition, two new interns have started here.  Adriana Blumer Bastos, who is pursuing her LLM from George Washington University Law School, works with us 12 hours per week and Robin Chen Delos, who recently earned her undergraduate degree and is now considering attending law school, interns with us 15 hours per week.   We are thrilled to have all three of them on board.

Just Neighbors is honored to receive a grant from the Weissberg Foundation in Arlington to fully fund a community clinic this year!

We were saddened by the passing this month of our friend and volunteer, Wade Dennis.  Wade was about to finish law school when she lost an ongoing battle with lupus.  We will remember fondly her determination to succeed, her recognizable laugh, and her passion for helping the clients.

Volunteer of the Month

We would like to honor Lisa Trangsrud for her generosity and eagerness to help in the office during our transition period in January.  Lisa has filled in for many hours answering the phones, reviewing grant proposals, entering client information into the database, and much more.  We would like to recognize her volunteer efforts with a donated gift certificate to Lebanese Taverna!

Sincerely,
Rob