My experience as a Community Solutions Fellow at FOR

I have just completed a four-month fellowship at the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR). This has prompted memories of when I first arrived to the United States in August, when I thought that I would have so much time to do everything – but to my surprise, the time has completely elapsed.

One thing that has struck me is that I gained so much experience during a short period of time, which will help to increase my professional development. My time spent meeting new friends and sharing my stories – traveling to impoverished communities in Chicago, going to Memphis for a conference and field trip, visiting friends in Pennsylvania, doing research and completing IREX assignments, attending meetings at the United Nations, lecturing at a high school and college – was painstaking but remarkable and very rewarding.

My intention of becoming a community solutions fellow was to gain insights that would help enhance my work at the Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program when I return home to Liberia. Another intention was to share my professional experience from the horrors of 14 years of civil war in Liberia, as well as my personal life history. I saw the fellowship as a beginning of building relationship and partnership with friends in the United States and other parts of the world. I am happy that I was able to gain a great deal of experience and was able to contribute to the development of my host institution with my stories and expertise. I am also grateful to the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX) and to FOR for giving me space and opportunity to share and learn.

Since my arrival at the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s U.S. headquarters in August, I have been basically engaged with one major project. “I WILL NOT KILL.” This project has focused on ending gun violence through a coalition that shares best training practices with young people and community members. This experience has been truly inspiring and commendable. When I visited Chicago in October, I noticed that there were many young people who are involved in gangs and other violent activities, such as drug and alcohol abuse, street loitering, etc. We toured Chicago’s south side where these activities are prominent: we visited key parts of these “ghetto” communities where it was clear that fear was a component of daily life. People there are living in destitute situations, without good housing facilities, electricity, or food to eat, on streets filled with boarded-up buildings. I saw many people in the streets begging for food and money, and the signs of hopelessness were visible in their faces. As evidence of the crime rate and violence, we visited three areas where people were murdered – there were signs showing the spots and signifying that people had been murdered there.

Before my trip to Chicago, my thoughts about the United States had always been very positive: that the U.S. was a very peaceful place with everything in order and violence was minimal. (I should add that I had already traveled on two previous occasions to the United States.) But my recent experiences have shifted my thoughts and have given me a completely new picture of the U.S. I think that there is a lot to do to put this violence and crime under control; the media propaganda we see on our television and hear on our radio stations always places life in the U.S. in a more perfect and positive position.

My fellowship experience also took me to the Gandhi-King Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, where I gained a broader knowledge in conflict resolution at different levels and various places around the world. I attended a series of sessions with different perspectives and views about world conflict and its resolution mechanisms and approaches to nonviolence and peace. These experiences also gave me new insights into looking at conflict and the kind of procedures to take in resolving conflict. I had the opportunity there to share my experiences with a large audience about the war in Liberia and the situation in Africa more generally. Through these conversations, I connected with new friends; these contacts are now in my network for the continuing exchange of ideas and resources. One striking thing I got from the Memphis conference was the use of nonviolence as a tool to resolve conflict and to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.

I was also privileged to visit Occupy Wall Street in New York City, where we saw and met with hundreds of people carrying various placards calling on government to resolve the unemployment problem and to distribute the nation’s wealth to the majority who are jobless, homeless, and abandoned. It was also interesting to see people spending many days in one place, determined to affect a change in this manner without police brutality or harassment. It reminded me of the nonviolence campaign knowledge I had gained at the Gandhi-King Conference, which argued that a nonviolent approach is one of the most powerful tools in bringing about social change and justice for the majority who cannot speak for themselves.

I was also grateful for the opportunity to participate in FOR’s National Council meeting in October, during which I gained a greater insight of what FOR stands for and how it operates. I learned a lot during the capacity-building workshop held during the meeting, especially a session that focused on fundraising and sustainability. This was highly inspiring and educational; I see it as a new tool added to my leadership skill set, so that when I get back home I will be able to more effectively seek funding both locally and internationally. At the NC meeting, I met new friends who shared the see vision I share and who are willing to network with my organization.

All these experiences have given me an entirely new picture and brand of leadership for looking at issues more technically and positively and becoming more resilient in solving difficult problems. My personal life has been affected positively and I see many opportunities for transformation and prospects for the future – not only for me as a person, but also for my organization and indeed my country at large. As we in Liberia engage in the reconstruction of our war-ravaged nation, healing the minds and the broken wounds of the civil crisis cannot be over emphasized; it is an imperative and an obligation for all Liberians to get involved. I am glad that I have a whole new toolkit that will enable me meet some of these challenges as I return home. I have a strong belief that my life and work will never be the same as it was when I came here to the U.S.; much has been added.

It is my honest hope and aspiration that this relationship established between FOR and me will not be limited to the four months of my stay here. I hope that FOR will accompany me to Liberia and help guide me with my follow-up project and professional goals. In that way, I will be taking FOR’s vision to another part of the globe where little or nothing has been heard about FOR. I even pray for a greater collaboration at the organizational level in the future, where ideas and resources can be exchanged for the mutual benefit of both organizations.

Lastly, let me extend my thanks and appreciation to the entire staff of FOR, specifically to my immediate supervisor, Shauen Pearce, who worked directly with me through my four months. There were some challenges, but a lot was achieved and acquired.

Thank you all and may God richly bless you.