American Students Burgled�At East Legon

On the morning of Wednesday, July 17th a home in East Legon near the American House Road t-junction was robbed. Over $20,000 US dollars worth of valuables were stolen.

4 MacBook Pros, 1 MacBook Air, 1 MacBook, 2 iPad, 4 iPhone 4s, 3 iPods, 1 Acer Chromebook, 1 MSI Laptop, 3 Canon cameras, 1 Kindle Fire, 1 Samsung phone, 2 backpacks and monies were taken from the home that is currently occupied by students from the United States.

Between the hours of 1:00am and 3:00am, buglers climbed over the barbed wire fence that surrounds the property, broke the locks on a window, and entered the home. They proceeded to steal thousands of US dollars worth of electronics and money from the bedrooms of sleeping residents�.

The students woke up around 5:00am and noticed their belongings were missing. The police have been notified, and they are currently investigating the crime. Unfortunately as at press time yesterday, no leads had been found by the police.

�This incident doesn�t change my view of Ghana. It�s just incredibly disheartening as a student who has worked really hard and really long and put a lot into this trip to get here to have had something like this happen,� said Daryl Mogilewsky, a victim of the crime.

�I personally cannot afford to replace more than one item that was stolen from me, and I had seven things stolen from me that amount to a lot of money. I simply don�t have the money to replace what I�ve lost. A lot of those things were essential to my life as a student and as a young person trying to make it in a media profession, and that�s really unfortunate,� She added.

Sixteen journalism students from the University of Oregon, United States came to Ghana to explore the country�s growing media presence.

The University�s Media in Ghana program provides students with various media related internships in Accra. Without their cameras, photos, and the schoolwork on their laptops, the students can no longer document their time in Ghana or share their stories with friends and family in the U.S.

Carson York, a graduate student and victim said, �Home invasions and robberies happen everywhere. They happen in the US all the time. If someone had come in and stole things we left out, I would be angry, but it wouldn�t stir me the way this does. Someone had the brazenness to invade my room and steal my belongings that sat a foot or two from my head as I slept. It�s that reality that punches you in the deepest part of your stomach and ignites an anger that you can�t find anything to do with.�

Professor Leslie Steeves, the director of the program, has been bringing students to Ghana for 11 years.

"I'm devastated by this burglary. I've been bringing students to Ghana since 2002 and nothing like this has ever happened. This year's group of 16 has been so positive and enthusiastic about the opportunity to live and work here,� said Steeves.

He lamented; �It is beyond disheartening that the otherwise amazing experience they are having is being overshadowed by this theft. One student's entire master's thesis was lost. Aside from the loss of cameras and computers, they are traumatized that burglars entered their private home. I hope anyone with any information will contact the East Legon police."

If anyone has any information about the crime please contact the East Legon Police Department immediately. The students are offering a reward for returned items or any information that leads to the thieves.

Source: Julia Vipiana/New Crusading Guide/ Ghana