It was good to see many of the villages working to build a church with mud blocks for their own use without hoping that the Kuwaa Mission would build it for them.  It remains our primary focus to provide safe water, sanitation, and Christian education.  However with the people demonstrating their willingness to work towards a church on their own, and with their request for “assistance” we are hoping to be able to provide roofing materials.  They have the capability to do the work but the roofing materials need to be bought in Monrovia and shipped upcountry.  Their willingness to take the initiative on these projects is a very welcome sign that they are starting to work towards their own development efforts.

I visited our clinic in Kondesu, just by chance on April 13, to discover that it had been dedicated exactly 3 years ago to the date.  It was in excellent shape, our solar system was still providing lighting and power for the refrigerators to keep the medicines stored as required.  They have needs for more storage space, shelving space for supplies, a canopy over the entrance for sun and rain cover.  We are hoping to be able to provide these needs next year.

In Fassama I met with the District Commissioner, Jeremiah Flomo, to review our work plans and talk about their needs.  The people had already done a lot of work on the main road into town from Monrovia and expended quite a sizeable amount of money for being in such a remote location.  I was unable to reimburse them for their expenses but encouraged them to continue the work.  I promised to take their request back to our board for discussion to see if we can help them with funding next year.  They need help with fuel for the chain saw, small tools and food for the workers.

Jeremiah Flomo explained the need for the local clinic to have housing for expectant mothers and informed me of a group in Monrovia called Traditional Women United for Peace (TWUP).  Upon my return to Monrovia, I arranged to meet with TWUP and had a very rewarding experience.  This group was founded by an elderly lady from upcountry who realized that the women’s society needed to change and that they needed health care.  Therefore she started the “Big Belly Program” to teach expectant mothers (often young girls) how their body changes during pregnancy (not to mention how they became pregnant in the first case) and how to take care of their body, provide for their nutritional needs as well as their babies.  With assistance from the Carter Center they have been able to bring their program to 7 of the 15 counties in Liberia.  We hope to be able to provide TWUP with travel expenses to allow them to bring their program to the Kuwaa people.

 It was a wonderful trip with many positive outcomes on all fronts.  It is so very rewarding to see our efforts paying off and making a difference in the lives of the Kuwaa people.  There are many ways for individuals and congregations to help us with our work:

• Volunteer here in the states

• Volunteer in Liberia

• Undertake a specific fund raising project such as a well,  assistance with road rehabilitation costs, various improvements to the clinic, church roofing, evangelist education, sponsoring a sanitation workshop, sponsoring a Children’s Bible School program and many others.

Please contact I, or Karen Voris, our congregational coordinator and we will be happy to work with you.

 Thank you all again for your prayers and financial support over the past 10 years.  With you and God’s help all is indeed possible.

Stan Olsen

CEO, Kuwaa Mission