The 5th China Formed Police Unit to United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has won widespread acclaim at home in China as well from the international community.
Liberia, the nation the unit served for the past several months, awarded members with that country’s National Award on February 28. In December, the United Nations awarded the team with peacekeeping medals for its outstanding performance.
The honors are well-deserved and appreciated but for some peacekeepers, the high honors come at a heavy price.
Dr. Li Limei is a medical officer with the logistics platoon.
She’s one of only four women in the entire peacekeeping unit and leads a five-person medical team that is responsible for making sure every member of her unit remains healthy so that they can continue serving the people of Liberia.
“One major concern for our medical team in Liberia is infectious diseases, so prevention formed the bulk of our work, said Dr. Li. “The serious cases may need further investigations. To keep our camp sanitized, we disinfect the whole camp twice a day. I have dealt with cases of trauma during training and patrols.”
As Dr. Li helps care for thousands of people in Liberia she often gets homesick thinking about her family back home in China. She says she misses her family, especially her 13-year-old daughter who fell ill during her absence but she’s able to continue her work in Liberia because she knows her daughter is very proud of her.
One of the other women in the unit says while it hurts to be away from her family she felt compelled to join the mission in Liberia.
“I grew up a bit of a tomboy, with strong personal opinions on life,” said Shi Jing, Duty Officer of the Command Centre.
“Fortunately, my parents are open minded and my mother pushed me to cautiously go after set goals. I feel guilty that I am not grateful to them, that I cannot take care of them as their daughter but I am also grateful for their support and not limiting my dreams.”
Shi’s only 25-years-old and is the only one of the four women in the unit who isn’t married. She says she admires the other women and their commitment to service despite having families back home.
“’The other three female troops are married with children. I admire their ability to discuss with their families what difficulties they face here. I suffer in silence because I don’t want my parents to worry about me.”
These four women are vastly outnumbered by their male counterparts but just they are just as integral to China’s mission in Liberia as the men.
Working within the community is a key element of that mission
The peacekeepers often visit charities and spend lots of time getting to know people who live in the villages. Other aid workers say the visits mean a lot to the children. Stephene Enoch, who runs an orphanage say the Chinese peacekeepers are a Godsend.
“This team often comes to bring gifts, books and teach the children,” Enoch said. We have very little support from the government and we are asking the Chinese government to continue supporting us.”
The Chinese peacekeepers spent nearly a year away from their home, friends and family. There were certainly a few tears shed as The 5th China Formed Police Unit to United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) returned home but there were far more smiles than tears. The peacekeepers, the United Nations and most of all, the people of Liberia know that the unit made a great difference, setting aside their own troubles to help people in distress.
