Zenith Project by KaitlynE

Unbreakable Based on the Childhood of Ansu Dolleh

Kaitlyn Ecklund

Ansumana Dolleh had everything a child could ever want: a safe place to live, food to eat, friends to play soccer with and his family all together. Suddenly, that was all taken away when his family had to ee from Liberia’s Civil War. His life was turned upside down as he was forced to move to a refugee camp in Sierra Leone and later deep into the jungle when the refugee camp was no longer safe.

Ansu and his siblings were then adopted by a single mother in California where their lives were once again turned upside down.

Ansu had to grow up quickly to survive but through it all held onto his positive outlook on life.

Unbreakable Based on the Childhood of Ansu Dolleh

Kaitlyn Ecklund

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Dedication To Ansu Thank you for being willing to share your story with me.

I’m extremely honored you allowed me to write my book about you. Your positivity amazes me and we can all learn a lot from you.

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Sierra Leone Liberia

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History of Liberia and Sierra Leone Liberia is a small country on the West African Coast, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire. It is the oldest republic in Africa and the first to claim its independence. Liberia’s economy was rapidly growing after World War II and it was becoming one of the most advanced countries in the West African region. This all began to change in the 1980s when Liberia suffered through a brutal civil war from 19892003. The conflict left over 250,000 Liberians dead and an estimated 1.4 million fleeing to neighboring countries. Many fled to Sierra Leone which endured its own civil war between 1991 and 2002 with many of the rebel groups fighting in both countries.

These wars were an internal struggle for power and control of the government and natural resources. Liberia is rich in minerals and lumber while Sierra Leone is known for its diamond mines. While the warlord and rebel factions fought for control of these resources, the people were caught in the middle and forced to flee or take up arms with one of the rebel groups.

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M

y name is Ansumana Dolleh. But most people call me Ansu. I was born in Monrovia, Liberia where I lived with my parents and older siblings, Mariamma and Sidique.

Until the age of nine, my life revolved around school and playing football, American Soccer, with my friends.

Football has always been my favorite sport since my Dad introduced it to me. I still remember the day he took me to the big sports stadium in Monrovia to see the Liberian football team play. I sat in awe as I watched the players dribble the ball, pass and score goals.

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During the week, I couldn’t wait for school to finish so I could go play football with my friends. But I always loved coming home to the smell of food cooking.

My favorite meals were jollof rice (rice, vegetables and meat), gravy soup (meat and sauce) served over rice and fufu (cassava root pounded into a thick paste).

We ate when my dad came home from work and I will always remember the laughter and memories of sharing about our day. Our life was perfect and I thought it would always be that way, until I overheard people talking about a civil war approaching Monrovia. They hoped the fighting wouldn’t reach us. It was far away. We were safe and happy. And most importantly, we were together.

But one day, that all changed. The fighting reached our town and all of a sudden everything got out of control. The rebels, who were trying to take over the government, came and began to kill innocent people. My father was one of them. My mother and aunt ran home to grab me and my siblings. We had to leave Liberia quickly before we were captured by the rebels.

My Uncle owned a pick-up truck and we piled into the back along with more than 40 other scared Liberians. The driver sped through the streets managing to avoid the rebels. We traveled in silence for five hours until we reached Sierra Leone, the country next to Liberia. We didn’t stop.

Once we crossed the border into Sierra Leone, we were directed to a refugee camp run by the United Nations (UN). Life wasn’t easy there.

We lived in dome tents that were cramped and crowded. But we were thankful to be safe.

We lived in the refugee camp for three years. The group we travelled with grew larger over time. It was my mom, aunt and 40 children. We ate all our meals together - gathered around one big bowl of food. We didn’t like the food but it was better than nothing. We were given bulgar wheat, oil, flour and SPAM - a canned meat. I got so tired of eating the same thing over and over, but at least we were safe.

But one day, while I was in school, there was a loud explosion. The rebels had crossed the border - the war had followed us into Sierra Leone.

You could hear the shots from their guns and the townspeople screaming “Rebels! Rebels! They’re here! They’re here!” I found my way back to my family - but some of my other classmates weren’t so lucky. Soon we found ourselves running into the dense jungle of Sierra Leone where we hid for five years. I learned to constantly be on the lookout. Not only did we have to watch out for the rebels, but there were snakes and wild animals that could kill us too. Every sound and movement put me on edge. No where was safe.

I was captured by the rebels once. I was with my mother, siblings, extended family and other refugees we met along the way. My aunt was on her own trying to find some food. Walking along a worn path in the jungle, the rebels found us and bound all of our hands and feet together. I stayed calm and pushed down the panic bubbling up inside of me.

I knew my aunt would come and save us from the rebels. She was the leader of our group, with her smarts and quick-wit. As the rebels bound us, I noticed her hiding behind a bush. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She had a plan.

The rebels led us through the jungle until it got too dark to continue. We slept on the jungle floor with our hands and feet still bound. I drifted off, knowing that my aunt would save us.

I woke up abruptly when I felt a hand cover my mouth. I couldn’t see anything in the pitch black of night but slowly my eyes adjusted and I saw it was my aunt in front of me. She whispered to me to stay quiet and to make my way back to the road where we would all meet. I followed her instructions and made my way quietly to the road. I found others in our group waiting there silently as well.

Soon, everyone who had been captured was free and we were together again. The rebels never woke up and we slept in a ditch on the side of the road for the rest of the night. My aunt was smart to stay close to the rebels because in the morning when they woke and realized we had escaped, they rushed right past us deeper into the jungle - thinking we had run far away from them.

I had other close brushes with the rebels, but I was never captured again. Once the rebels invaded our village in the jungle but as I was playing football, I saw their cars coming and was able to alert everyone so they could flee.

Another time, I was at the grocery store with my aunt and the rebels blocked the front door and started launching bombs into the store. We ran out the back and found shelter in the homes of strangers until we were able to make it home. Our family was so relieved - everyone breathed a sigh of relief as we walked through the doorway. They thought we had been captured or killed as we’d been gone for almost ten hours.

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In the midst of all of the fighting and chaos, football helped me cope. I was able to escape all of the horrors of the war when I played. My dream was to be a professional football player. I loved the rush of adrenaline that I felt when I played and the thrill that ran through me when people cheered for me and chanted my name. “Ansu! Ansu! Ansu!� I knew my father would be proud of how good I had become.

After five long years in the jungle, it was finally safe to return to the refugee camp. When we returned, people had built homes there and there weren’t as many domed tents littering the area. There was a football field and they had added more smaller wells. We began to settle down and make a new home. My aunt decided that I should go to boarding school, as it was the best opportunity for me to succeed.

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After a few months, I returned to the refugee camp because my mother had fallen ill. She was growing weaker by the day and no one knew what was wrong. Catholic Charities made plans to send us to America where my mom could get medical help and we could go to school. Before that happened, my mom became very weak and was moved to a nearby hospital to see if there was anything they could do. She passed away a few days later. We found out later she had died of diabetes.

The day after my mother passed away, my siblings and I learned that we were going to be adopted by a woman in America. I was wary of this new place because I knew that they weren’t as good at football as some of the European countries that other children were going to.

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Arriving in the U.S, I wasn’t sure what to think of my new home. I had a new mom and brothers. My first night home, my bed was situated near the door and I refused to go to sleep. I was worried about someone coming to take me during the night. My new mom, Tracy, came and told me, “You’re safe. There is no more war. No one is coming to get you. You can sleep and be safe.”

I settled into my new life, adjusting to being in a new country with new foods and a different culture. Although life in California was safe, I missed my Aunt and cousins.

They were still in Sierra Leone and I knew life was still hard for them.

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After a couple weeks in Los Altos, it was time to start my first day at Mountain View High School. My mom dressed me in a white collared shirt, white cargo pants and white Nike’s with an orange swoosh. I made a nice friend on my first day. Her name was Brooke. She noticed that I was confused between classes so she told me to come have lunch with her and her friends in the cafeteria. She paid for my lunch because I didn’t bring money, thinking it was free.

Over time, I made friends in my classes and on the soccer team. I felt at home on the football field and quickly became known as the Liberian orphan and star football player. Football continued to give me an outlet to get out all of my emotions and to help cope with everything I was going through after moving.

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I just wished my dad was alive to see me play. People in the community began to notice my skills and came to watch me play. Newspapers wrote articles about me, news channels came to document my life and I loved all the attention. Through all of the articles written about me playing soccer, I was given the chance to practice with the San Jose Earthquakes, a professional soccer team close to where I lived. I had always wanted to be a professional football player and I felt like I was getting a taste of what my dream would be like. As I practiced with the Earthquakes, I imagined my dad sitting there in the stands cheering me on and proud smile stretched across his face.

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EPILOGUE Since practicing with the San Jose Earthquakes, Ansu has graduated from Mountain View High School and gone on to study at Foothill College and has completed his general education requirements. He is planning on transferring to a four-year university where he will most likely major in History and aims to become a teacher.

He now works at the YMCA working with kids in the after-school and summer programs. He lives in Los Altos, California with his adoptive mother Tracy taking care of her and keeping her company.

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Ansu

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Scan QR Code to go to Catholic Charities website

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Kaitlyn Ecklund is a senior at Mountain View High School and Freestyle Academy. She lives in Los Altos, California with her parents and younger brother and sister. She loves hanging out with her friends, reading, traveling, taking pictures and meeting new people. Having grown up overseas in Liberia, she is passionate about other cultures and learning more about them. She was honored to have the opportunity to share Ansu’s story in a new way.