News coming in from Ukraine says the hope of Liberian students there has been dashed by the individuals and institutions expected to make a move in rescuing them from the crisis, with some nearby Liberian embassies they contacted telling them that they have nothing to do about their situation and, in fact, they should contact those who sent them to Ukraine.
Phildora Matina Browne, a graduate of Joseph Jenkins Roberts United Methodist School (J.J.R.U.M.S) and Mother Patern College of Health Sciences, explained to the Hot Pepper that they decided to take their fate into their own hands and push for themselves because it was evident that they did not have the support of their country when other nations were making the effort in getting their students and citizens out of the crisis.
Explaining her ordeal, Browne said, “On a cold Thursday morning around 5:00 a.m. we were awaken by the sounds of sirens and bomb explosions. Shaking in confusion we decided to take shelter in the middle of the building (away from the glass and roof).
“Thinking we were safe we decided to stay out and stack up our house with food. Later that night news reached us that our city was going to be bombed again so we needed to head to the nearest bomb shelter; so we did exactly so. After spending the night in the cold shelter we decided that nowhere was safe and, like everyone else, we needed to move to the border and cross into a safe country because the air space of Ukraine had been closed.
“As it was wise to travel in group, we began calling our friends. 17 of us, Liberians, decided to travel together…other Liberians remained behind because they decided that it was safer to stay put. Looking for transportation was not an easy task: trains were being booked by the minute, buses were full, taxi drivers were overcharging but by the grace of God we were able to rent a bus for 1,800. We split the cost and began our journey.
“On the way it was all fun and laughter because the situation wasn’t that serious, or at least that’s what we thought. The traffic began about 80km away from the border and what was supposed to be a 5-hour bus ride had turned into nine with no sign of the border. Thinking we weren’t going anywhere and seeing others walking by we decided to move by foot. Again it was fun at first. I even made fun that I should shoot videos documenting our journey and one day might even get my own Netflix special, so I began filming.
“Two hours into our journey I was already tired. Filming wasn’t fun, I was cold and hungry. The group wasn’t smiling anymore, people started to get left behind and started to get frustrated but we kept pushing. After 15 hours of walking we reached at the border by 11:00 a.m. No sleep, freezing cold because we had sweat from the journey drying on our body.
“Because of the tremendous effort of a Liberian named Jameal we were able to cross the first border…making our way on foot to the second one, which was more than one hour away. When we reached it was very discouraging because we met students that had been there for a couple of days and had no signs of being let in, so they decided to go back, saying, ‘It was better to die in Ukraine than freeze at the border.’
“Not knowing I joined the queue with by friends but I was taken away and sent to a different line, one meant for women and children. There were over 5,000 families at that side. Their trauma brought tears to my eyes; some had been there for days with no food and others had to say bye to the men in their families because they weren’t allowed to cross to safety because of a law that had been passed.
“From the back of the line I was able to push my way to the front, enabling me to cross. I thought crossing was going to be the most difficult part till I stood at the line at customs for over 9 hours, leaving by 6:00 a.m. This is my story, but it isn’t nowhere as difficult as what the Liberian guys travelling with me went through.
“The Ukrainian soldiers became bitter and brutal on the next day, beating students out of frustration. Men weren’t allowed to cross (African and Asian students). Two South African girls were wounded, 5 people were killed, others lay on the floor and met their untimely death. No food, no water and when given water the security would urinate in the water and throw one bottle to about 200 thirsty males so they could fight for it like animals.
“This was the news that was reaching me when I thought the worst was over and I was just waiting for my friends to cross as easily as I did. But we couldn’t get in contact because there was no way to reach them. We reached out to the nearest embassies of Liberia, government officials, ambassadors, etc. because when other countries heard of the traumatic news they decided to reach out to these borders and their citizens were being evacuated, called from the end of the line and being searched for. When we got in contact with our government we got snarky remarks like, “How is this our business?” “So what should we do?” “The person who sent y’all there should remove you.” A student’s sister even reached out to the Liberian embassy in UK to help her sister stuck at the border; they were rude, yelled at her and told her not to bother her… they had serious and important things to do.
“This was when we decided to take our fates in our own hands and push for ourselves because it was evident that we did not have the support of our country, and we had loved ones we needed to get back to. Because of this, all the cold, the trauma of being trampled on, beaten by gun back, seeing people lose their lives and being injured right before our very eyes did not break our spirit. We endured 4—5 nights sleeping in the cold, excruciating body aches, hunger for days, thirst, racism. Finally after being separated by the guards we were able to cross one at a time not knowing if the other person was safe or not.
“One person out of our group of 17 is currently stuck at the border. We’ve been trying to reach the government for help but to no avail. All he needs is confirmation from the government to the border officers that he is indeed a Liberian citizen and he will be going home. He is alone and traumatized. He hasn’t eaten or slept in days. His family is worried but the government, like always, unreliable, has turned their back on us.
“This is to create awareness because some Liberian students are missing, stranded at borders and still struggling in various cities trying to find their way out.
“My name is Phildora Matina Browne, a graduate of J.J.R.U.M.S., and B.Sc. in biology and chemistry from Mother Patern. I decided to further my studies in Ukraine so that it’s easier for me to study and become a radiologist, a very much needed field of medicine our country needs. Now we are being blamed for wanting more, for having patriotism, for striving for better for our health sector. Thinking we were the solution, we have become the problem. This is my story and my voice needs to be heard.”