Rev. Paye telling David and Goliath

Jenny Cosgrove and I, Stan Olsen, have just returned from our trip to Liberia where we had a wonderful time connecting with old friends, meeting new friends and getting updates on various Kuwaa Mission programs.  Bottom line is that all our programs are doing well and making a very positive impact. This year we conducted a joint Bible / Koran School in Lowoma with stories common to both the Old Testament and the Koran.  Over 150 children attended and had a great time over two days.  Rev. Paye told a very animated story of David and Goliath and the local Muslim leader told about Moses and Pharaoh.  The kids really enjoyed Rev. Paye acting out the story, not to mention the popcorn and Kool aid distributed the final day.

Jenny and Korpo conducting a Days for Girls program

Jenny and Korpo Barsay, our Liberian leader of the Bible School and Sanitation programs presented a new program for us called “Days for Girls”.  This teaches young girls who are just about to start, or are starting, their menstrual periods about the changes in their bodies and how to deal with those changes.  Many girls end up dropping out of school once their period starts never to return.  After the class room setting, and a question / answer session, we distributed over 100 washable, reusable sanitary napkin kits to girls in three villages. The girls asked many good questions and were very excited to get the kits.  If they take care of them and wash them properly the kits should last each girl 3-4 years.  We are the first NGO to bring this program to Liberia and it has proved very popular.  We also presented the program to Phebe and Curran Nursing Schools, both associated with the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) as well as to ELWA Hospital in Monrovia. Phebe and Curran hope to include this program into their nursing curriculum and have the students take it into the villages. We plan to send 2-3 women to Accra, Ghana for further training.

New well for 2019

This year we are installing 3 hand dug wells to a depth of 40’ in the villages of Balama, Konjade and Teglei and repairing wells in three different villages.  Additionally, this year we hired a contractor from Monrovia to “hand drill” a well in Fassama.  We have not tried this before but there are several firms in Monrovia that do this work, just none up country away from a paved highway.  He was able to drill two holes to a depth of 80’ where he got a very strong and consistent flow of water.  Going this deep the wells should not have the issue of running dry due to a drop in the water table over the dry season. We are sponsoring a program for pregnant women called “Big Belly”.  This program will be conducted by the LCL with our financial assistance.  It teaches pregnant women about the changes in their body, how the fetus develops, proper nutrition and how to care for themselves and the baby while it develops.  The program also tries to get the father involved so he can properly help care for his wife and their new baby.  The LCL was involved in the creation of this program so it is not new to them.

Gatema Lutheran Church

We also visited several churches and schools up country.  Most of these facilities need a lot of work and the people are more than willing to perform their share but just need some help with materials not available.  The churches mainly just need some corrugated metal roofing sheets, carboline to treat the wood against termites and cement for the floor and to plaster the walls to protect against the heavy rains.  An average cost of $3000- $4000 will take care of the materials and transportation.  Transportation is the most expensive item.

Lowoma School

The schools are also in poor shape, need the same materials plus blackboards, chalk, copy books and pencils for the children, chairs and tables, and textbooks for the teachers.  The size of the school varies quite a bit according to how big the town is.  Typically a school would have 6-8 classrooms and an office for the principal.  The budget to cover school costs would be more like $5000 – $6000 as these buildings are much bigger. I would really like to see a congregation “adopt” a church or school and be responsible for raising the funds to renovate the structure.  Most churches are served by a part-time evangelist or deacon. The school cost would also include covering the minimal yearly cost of supplies and support for the teacher.  The teachers receive a very minimal salary, even by Liberian standards, if at all.  In addition to teaching they also have to make their own farm to provide rice and food for their families. If you, or your church, is interested in such a program I am very willing and excited to talk to you about this possibility in greater detail.  I know it would be something you would be very excited about, proud of and you would receive many blessings for participating in this program.  I would mean the world to the people in the village if there was such participation by our supporters here in America. We have changed our mailing address for the receipt of donations.  All donations should be addressed to the Kuwaa Mission at:

Kuwaa Mission, PO Box 90513, Anchorage, AK 99509

PDF Version of the Letter                                   MS-Word Version of this letter

Your contributions to the Kuwaa Mission are tax-deductible.  We are a 501c3 non-profit organization.  Our tax ID number is 27-5458111

Donations can be given in two ways:  A Check to the mission address or PayPal on our Website: 

Kuwaa Mission, PO Box 90513, Anchorage, AK 99509

www.kuwaamission.org                          Facebook: Kuwaa-Mission

Shop like you normally do on Amazon but make a small contribution to the Kuwaa Mission with every purchase.  Please consider adding the Kuwaa Mission.  

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 

Psalm 139:14

Menstruation isa gift. It is a part of a natural and efficient cycle that continues God’s creation through human reproduction. Menstruation is a beautiful thing because we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

But, have you ever thought about what the 5000+ girls and women of Kuwaa Chiefdom do because they do not have reliable access to menstrual health care? They use whatever materials they can find, often resorting to grass and leaves and other dirty materials. This often leads to serious infections. Without a solution they miss school and work activities.

Kuwaa Mission distributes Days for Girls kits throughout the Kuwaa Chiefdom, providing health education and sustainable feminine hygiene kits for the Kuwaa girls. Several church groups, quilt clubs and sewing groups work to sew and assemble Days for Girls kits.  These sustainable feminine hygiene kits will last a girl for up to 3 years. Even more importantly, the kits are distributed with health education. The girls are taught their worth, how their bodies function, and how the human race continues because of them. Girls replace confusion and shame with knowledge and dignity. As Celeste Mergens, founder of Days for Girls International, says “Each kit is a reminder to the girl who receives one, that she is loved, that she is worthy of education, and opportunity. That she matters.”

Kuwaa Mission recently shipped 496 Days for Girls kits for distribution throughout the Kuwaa Chiefdom. Each kit contains: 2 pairs of panties, 2 washable panty shields with pockets, 8 washable flannel liners, a washcloth, a bar of soap, 2 Ziplocs for soaking and washing the items, all in a cotton drawstring bag. Those 496 kits represent 89,280 days that girls can remain in school and active in their communities. The kits will be distributed by Korpo Barsay, Kuwaa Mission’s Liberian health worker.  They will also be distributed by Jenny Cosgrove, Kim Tahini, Laurie Juelg and San Olsen when they travel to Kuwaa next spring. Please pray for our mission.

A special thanks to the groups and individuals who sewed and assembled the kits for this shipment: Lord of Life Lutheran Church (North Pole, AK), Cross of Christ Lutheran Church WELCA (Welch, MN), Sun City Summerlin Quilt Club (Las Vegas, NV), Terri’s Friends (Reno, NV) and Christ our Savior Lutheran Church (Anchorage, AK). Days for Girls International (www.daysforgirls.org) has developed and field tested the kits and the educational programs. In the past 10 years, over one million kits have been distributed to girls in over 100 different countries by DFGI. Kuwaa Mission is pleased to be partnering with this organization.

Your donations to Kuwaa Mission make the transportation and distribution of the kits possible. The area is remote, and the logistics are complicated.  Kuwaa Mission also supports continuing health education for our health worker Korpo Barsay. We are also working with Lutheran Church in Liberia to help facilitate setting up a micro-enterprise to sew kits at their women’s’ center in Monrovia at some point in the future. We welcome individuals and groups who would like to sew and assemble Days for Girls kits. For more information, visit our Kuwaa Mission website (www.kuwaamission.org).

With gratitude,

Sue Zager – your fearfully and wonderfully made sister in Christ

Days for Girls – Kuwaa Mission Partnership Coordinator  email:summerlinlvnv@daysforgirls.org

Please reachout at Webmaster@kuwaamission.org.  with questions or if you want to help! 

PDF Version of the Letter                                   MS-Word Version of this letter

Your contributions to the Kuwaa Mission are tax-deductible.  We are a 501c3 non-profit organization.  Our tax ID number is 27-5458111

Donations can be given in two ways:  A Check to the mission address or PayPal on our Website: 
The Kuwaa Mission c/o Bethany Lutheran Church 1340 8th Street. Slidell, LA 70458

www.kuwaamission.org                          Facebook: Kuwaa-Mission

Shop like you normally do on Amazon but make a small contribution to the Kuwaa Mission with every purchase.  Please consider adding the Kuwaa Mission.