Urban returnees seek jobs in Liberia after passing computer course

MONROVIA, Liberia, November 17 (UNHCR) - Liberia's recovery from years of civil war took another small step forward earlier this month when 69 former refugees proudly accepted certificates after completing a UNHCR-funded computer course in the capital Monrovia.

In a country where computers are rare and Internet penetration is among the lowest in the world, the returnees were the second intake to graduate in the four-month basic skills course run by the Liberia Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (LOIC), one of Liberia's most experienced non-governmental organisations.

The programme was set up in April with the aim of boosting the job chances of urban returnees in a country where 85 percent of the people are unemployed. "We expect 30 percent of returning refugees to come back to urban areas, mainly to Monrovia," UNHCR field officer Abbas Haidarbaigi told the graduates, highlighting the importance of training people for work in the towns and cities.

Skilled returnees are more likely to find employment, but the refugee agency is advising them to consider self-employment and counselling them individually, in order to help them find a sustainable solution for their future. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is trying to attract foreign investors to Liberia, where a comprehensive peace treaty in 2003 put an end to 14 years of strife.

Course participants, working on computers, printers and other equipment donated by the UN's International Telecommunication Union, first learned how to use programmes such as Windows, Microsoft Word and Excel. In the second part of the course, they were taught about Power Point presentation, Internet browsing and graphics software.

The course graduates were understandably elated. "I was a refugee in Nigeria for three years. I came back early this year, with UNHCR's organised repatriation and I immediately enrolled in this course," said 30-year-old Rose, happily displaying her certificate. "This is a great opportunity for us. Now I hope to find a job as a secretary."

Fellow graduate Kortu Brown had a special interest and stake in the course as he is also acting chairman of the LOIC board of directors, who had missed out on his dream to learn about computers because of the war.

"Whatever happened in our nation, the youth were fully involved. Now it is time to rebuild our country and to change the mind of the youth into positive thinking. Not to destroy the little they have got," Brown said. "We need to put Liberia's society back to where we were before the war."

Some of the participants were unable to complete the course due to various practical obstacles in Liberia, where most infrastructure was destroyed or badly damaged and a generation missed out on their schooling.

"Some students could not complete the course, because they had no money for transportation," one graduate noted. Some female students also found it difficult to attend regularly, since they also had to take care of the house and family. The women graduates received the biggest cheer at the ceremony.

"It is a good day for Liberia, to see our students become valuable members of society by learning and improving their skills," Danny Wilson, programme manager of the project told the graduating class. He also thanked UNHCR for helping provide some Liberians with hopes of a better future.

By Annette Rehrl in Monrovia, Liberia