Lago Louise

Meet Lago Louise, mother to two girls and one boy. They live just outside of Harper in Maryland County, south-east Liberia.

Lago’s husband died during the political crisis that erupted in the Ivory Coast. Fearing for the safety of her children, Lago fled with them to neighboring Liberia in 2013. She found shelter in Little Wlebo Refugee Camp. It’s given her the security she needed to start rebuilding a life for her family.

The real surprise of moving to Liberia has been Little Wlebo public school, which she says has given her hope for a brighter future for her children. “It’s amazing that as a refugee, this opportunity is open to my children,” she says, “I am very happy.”

Lago and her children have become fluent in English so are now bilingual, speaking both English and French. She thinks this skill will be particularly crucial to their futures, and believes they will go on to do great things. “They will make good doctors, teachers and will be able to support their families in the future,” she says.

It definitely hasn’t been an easy journey, but Louise is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. She doesn’t think her family will ever return to the Ivory Coast, explaining that she just couldn’t pass up the opportunity of free education for her children. Louise has also found that the UNHCR has been extremely supportive of her refugee community, and so life feels safer and more secure.