While we isolate, quarantine and/or shut ourselves out of contact with those we most dearly wish we could personally talk to, hug or just socialize with in whatever manner we prefer we need to remember that we here in the United States are not alone and the Kuwaa people need our support, our prayers and our positive outlook.

I recently received several photos from our well contractor showing the work he was able to accomplish this year.  While I left Liberia this year before any physical work had started due to the mud on the roads that made it impossible to get the supplies to the villages, we were still able to have a very successful dry season.  We again have Samaritans Purse to thank for the donated use of their helicopter.

In addition to our wells we conducted another Children’s Bible School, this year in Kondesu, with the local Muslim people with stories common to the Old Testament and the Koran.  It was very well attended with over 120 children and many young adults and elders closely paying attention.

Picture 1-Well

The first village we visited when the Kuwaa Mission started was Belle Yelleh.  Belle Yelleh was the home of a very notorious prison early in Liberia’s history and right up to the start of the civil war.  It does have two decent, by Liberian standards, roads so it is a rapidly growing village.  However that doesn’t mean that they have the support of the government or other NGO’s.  This year we installed the above new well and repaired two other wells.

The village of Lowoma has a very nice school building and new Lutheran Church but their main well was under performing as it was located in a very rocky area and thus not deep enough for adequate water flow during the dry season.  The people had to ration water between two wells by half the people getting water one day and the other half the next day.  Even then it was not the amount of water they felt they needed.  We installed a new well closer to the creek and they now have adequate water although a second well is desired.

Picture 2-New well in Lowoma

During the Civil War and for 10 years after Lutheran World Service / Lutheran World Federation was very active in Liberia with infrastructure, health, sanitation and reconciliation projects.  In Fassama, the only town in the Belle District with a road and made up predominately of the Kuwaa People, LWS had installed one well.  At the time that was sufficient but the town is now several thousand people so we repaired two wells in Fassama this year. 

Picture 3 – This LWS well had been out of use for several years so we cleaned the dirt, rock and debris out of the well, sealed the culverts to prevent soil from washing into the well and installed a new apron and pump.

Picture 4 -The repaired Fassama well!!

Picture 5 – Gatema also needed repair work to their well

Picture 6 – So we repaired their well as well.

If it seems like we repaired a lot of wells this year instead of installing new ones you are correct.  While our well contractor does very good work with the materials he has available, the sand and gravel for the concrete work are dug from the river, actually more of a creek, that flows near each village.  Despite screening the sand to try and remove soil and clay quite a bit remains.  As such the quality of the concrete is well below American standards.  However our wells hold up better than the wells installed by other NGO’s in Liberia.  The people keep the area around the pumps “brushed” to keep away rodents and other creatures from the forest but this also means the heavy rain tends to wash away the soil near the pump and thereby undermining the apron and spillway.  They also install a fence around the wells to keep larger animals away and children from playing near the well.

Liberia, as you may expect, is also facing the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Adding that to their historic high unemployment, extremely inadequate health care in the best of time, poor sanitation amid a plethora of other problems the people are experiencing times as they say are “not easy”.

The Kuwaa Mission continues to do the work we have been called to do for the people we have been called to serve.  We thank each and every one of you for your prayers and financial support.  Without you the Kuwaa People would be facing even more challenges.

 

Thank you,

Stan Olsen

 

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