In Liberia those accused of crimes often wait for years in overcrowded prisons for their trial. The government is seeking change – for example through the concept of probation. Probation officer Ernestine K. B. Dowie is advocating for clients to get a fairer criminal law procedure. On behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office GIZ has trained 30 probation officers in Liberia Since then 200 detainees were granted probation.
I always dreamed to be a counselor. Someone who will be able to influence other peoples life for the better. When I saw the call for applicants in the newspaper offered by GIZ I decided to go for it.
There are so many less fortunate people in this country that some blow of fate brought behind bars for minor crime like stealing a chicken, a mobile phone or a motor-bike. I show them a path and help them get a second chance.
Life in Liberia can be really hard. We are just coming from war and finding ourselves at a recovering stage. Some people don’t know how to afford three meals a day and how to send their kids to school. You sometimes get the feeling that everybody is just thinking about themselves and not the common welfare. But I can notice slow improvements.
I think my life is perfect as it is: I have a job, a husband, a little child and a home. But there are certain things about the system in my country that I want to change. Therefore I need to double my effort and improve on my studies, try to go back to school and maybe get a master and see how I can contribute to my country as a whole. It is my own struggle, not a for a fairy to solve.
I am a person who has always dreamed of serving humanity. If I had loads of money, I wouldn’t just give it to people living in the streets but find ways to empower them. And I would build an orphanage.