Carol, thanks for your kind words. The people I am working with now are middle class, established people and they do not need help. Instead we go through a process of liaison and communication to assist them in helping their own communities.

Previously, when working with refugees, I have interviewed children such as have been mentioned by Bruce on his previous post. They were forced into an army after their parents were murdered by the opposing side, including a young African man who with other young people was put into the front line by the people who took over their village and murdered their parents. They were rescued by UN peace keepers and put into a refugee camp.

Refugee camps around the world are huge places where it is not always possible for the authorities to control the behaviour of guards or workers there, and in some refugee camps there have been incidents of sexual abuse against children and young people.

In previous centuries, displaced people like this were used as slaves by the conquerors. Refugee camps give protection and hope, but ultimately the many displaced people in African and other refugee camps need to be given asylum by sponsoring countries, to be given a chance at a normal life. There are a lot of people sitting in camps in Africa who may be there for decades.

freda