A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

had arrived after 2003 were allowed rations); TRC
Diaspora Statement Rec. 178 (stating that they could
not get food rations); TRC Diaspora Statement Rec.
268 (noting that his sons are on the list for food);
TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 325 (“I have to sell
things to get money because my name does not come
up on the list to get food. If your name is not on
the list on the board, you will not receive food.”);
TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 387 (“didn’t get on
the UNHCR food distribution list until I begged
and begged…think that the area heads on the camp
are corrupt and are not willing to give food to me
because I have no money to bribe them. I always
put my name down and they say it is not there.”);
TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 388 (was never put on
UNHCR lists for food); TRC Diaspora Statement
Rec. 389 (“When we arrived on camp, we couldn’t
get food because I came so late. I arrived in Ghana
in 2003 and just this morning (9/26/07) got on the
list for UNHCR food distribution. My wife and I are
on the list but not my daughter.”); TRC Diaspora
Statement Rec. 467 (“some people get food while
certain people do not”).
227 E.g., TRC Diaspora Statement Recs. 74, 201.
228 Interview with Eugene Sekpeh, WFP/NCS/
UNHCR Food Aid Distribution Coordinator,
Buduburam, Ghana (Oct. 3, 2007).
229 Interview with Sebastian Nerault, clinic administrator,
and Elise Nerault, physical therapist, St.
Gregory Clinic, Buduburam, Ghana (Sept. 30,
2007). To serve a population of more than 35,000
individuals, the clinic has nine adult beds, ten
children’s beds, a lab, a pharmacy, and ultrasound
capacity. There is no surgery or X-ray capability,
so anyone needing those or other services must be
transferred out to other health care facilities in the
district. According to the Neraults, Liberians who
are transferred out to Ghanaian health care facilities
are required to pay double fees because they are
“foreigners.” While the clinic has a small budget
to assist with these fees, the full-year’s allocated
budget is usually dispersed within the first half of
the year because of the high costs. Sebastian Nerault
identified funding for referral health care as one of
the most critical needs the clinic was facing. In 2006,
the clinic budget was cut by between 50% and 60%.
The funding shortfall was so severe that the clinic
couldn’t afford to pay for lights or to purchase water.
382
While that budgetary crisis was resolved, the clinic
has begun charging refugee patients a registration
fee, a consultation fee, and a fee for prescriptions
in order to be able to provide some minimal
remuneration to the Liberian staff at the clinic.
230 Id.
231 Id. Elise Nerault indicated that many of the
Liberian staff were unable to become licensed to
practice in Ghana because the licensing exam cost
approximately $200 and because the Ghanaian
government had burdensome document production
requirements that Liberian refugees could not meet.
She also noted that many Liberians would have had
difficulty getting licensed because their training had
been interrupted by the outbreak of war in Liberia.
The clinic was unable to hire licensed Ghanaian
practitioners because the cost was prohibitive.
232 E.g., TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 389 (“The clinic
on camp is too expensive and if they want to transfer
to a hospital it’s impossible.”). See also TRC Diaspora
Statement Recs. 564, 627, 933, 485, 653, 45, 46, 59,
241, 413, 514, 739, 958, 1123, 239, 602, 645, 972,
1138, 1331, 1702.
233 Interview with Ruben Gboweh, UNHCR/NCS
HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, Buduburam,
Ghana (Oct. 3, 2007).
234 Id.
235 E.g., TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 434 (“When
someone goes to the bush to use the toilet, he runs
the risk of being hurt, beat, or killed. The reason
there are so many dogs on camp is for protection
against such abuses. I have even been cut by someone
on the camp. There is no freedom of speech on the
camp, and anyone who speaks his mind runs the risk
of being attacked.”) See also TRC Diaspora Statement
Recs. 541, 618, 1124, 1138, 1451, 1702, 285, 564, 1154,
514, 579, 972, 1138, 472, 502, 523, 561, 579, 592, 599,
741, 779, 988, 1698, 1730, 753, 578, 1495, 292, 438,
699.
236 The police inspector assigned to the camp noted that
the most common crimes are assault, petty theft,
and fraud and these account for between six and ten
cases of all types per month. Interview with Chief
Inspector G.K. Agyei, Ghanaian Police, Buduburam,
Ghana (Oct. 4, 2007). Domestic violence cases and
child abuse cases are sent to a special unit in Kasoa,
a nearby town. Id.