LIBERIA PROJECTS FOR 2004
BROWNTOWN BAPTIST CHURCH WORLD MISSION

Rice for Liberia
Liberia is among the nations most vulnerable to food insecurity. One in six Liberians must rely completely on humanitarian food assistance. For the past ten consecutive years, the UNDP classified Liberia as one of the world’s poorest nations based on the Human Development Index. The new government is dysfunctional and powerless to improve the economy, leaving the people destitute. It is a struggle for church and humanitarian efforts to supply just one meal of rice daily to the many starving people. Reverend Emile Sam-Peal estimates that the average Liberian family of six, eating just one meal of rice a day will consume a 100-pound bag in 21 days. The monthly cost of feeding a family one meal of rice a day is $33.00 per month. The annual per capita income is $120 USD, or $10 per month. There is a critical need for food in Liberia, especially meats and proteins. Baby formula and foods are urgently needed. 

 This project provides a resource to purchase rice in truckload or container quantity at lower prices, direct from rice plants or from rice importers. Salt, canned meats and vegetables, oils, peanuts, and other foods have been shipped to Liberia.  Rice has been purchased for churches, church associations, world alliances, and individuals. This project supplies resources for purchasing, consolidating, and logistics for rice and other humanitarian aid for shipment to Liberia. 256,000 pounds of rice was purchased and delivered to Monrovia in 2003.

Seeds of Hope for Liberia
Ninety percent of the population is engaged in agriculture, with planting and harvesting limited due to fighting during the resent conflict. Liberia is fortunate to enjoy year round growing conditions for crops and abundant rainfall for good plant growth. Fields that grow wetland rice in the summer grow dry land rice in the winter (dry season). The Seeds of Hope For Liberia is a project of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board that collects donated seed packages for shipment to Liberia.  

The Browntown Baptist Church initiative utilizes donations to purchase seeds in large volume in bulk packages, at discounted prices. Seed varieties are selected for plant vigor and productivity. A focus of this initiative is to send seed varieties that are acclimated to the climate in Liberia. A working relationship with our partners in Liberia helps to determine the seeds needed and the varieties preferred. A focus in the selection of seed varieties allows for a better balance of nutritional distribution. The lack of electricity and refrigeration restricts the preservation of vegetables for late consumption. Vegetables must be eaten fresh from the field.  Bean and corn verities are selected to allow for the option of drying for later use. Soybean and corn for grain seeds have been included to provide for crops that can be stored for later use as food or livestock feed. A better availability of seeds will allow for larger crops to be grown which would allow for selling or trading for other items in need.

 Reverend Emile Sam-Peal tells the story of a farmer who received a few packs of watermelon seeds, which were sent from people who care in Virginia. The farmer’s watermelon crop provided enough income to feed his family and educate his children, plus producing a surplus of seeds from his own crop to share with countless other people in great need.

 Seeds are distributed at no cost to people in need in Liberia, allowing people to feed themselves with dignity.

Hand Well Pumps
Water is a basic nutrient necessary to sustain life.  In Liberia up to 5,000 people rely on one well for water. Water from shallow hand dug wells in Liberia is contaminated and the wells frequently run dry and out of water in the dry season. Hand well pumps would allow for deeper wells, which would supply cleaner water and a better supply year around. Hand well pumps provide a greater volume of water, which can be shared in the community.  Hand pumps have been requested by 9 schools and 6 orphanages and will be used by the surrounding community. 8 hand well pumps have been purchased though the generous donations of people from many denominations throughout the country.

The hand well pumps are mission projects for: Char Turner, Carrie and Ron Tomechko, Elaine and Jeryl Turner, Ruth and Wayne Parker Family, Marianna Seventh Day Adventist Church Florida, Margie Twaddle (Marianna Seventh Day Adventist Church, Florida) Gifford D. Turner, Earl Oscar, and The Hanover Rotary Club.

 Ed Leid, owner of E & R Pumps and Windmills in Bethel, Pennsylvania partners with us in this project and is donating the cost of freight to ship the pumps to Liberia.

 12 hand well pumps have been shipped to Liberia

Hand Tools for Liberia
There is a critical need for hand tools to plant and maintain vegetables and crops in Liberia. The Seeds of Hope for Liberia Project sends seeds, which are given away free, to people in need in Liberia. Seeds help the people to feed themselves with dignity.  Rev. Emile Sam-Peal reports that there is a severe shortage of hand tools to plant the seeds and work the soil. Simple hand tools like hoes, shovels, and rakes are in great need.  This project includes trade hand tools for carpentry, plumbing, and masonry. There is a critical need for trade tools.

Young boys and girls who have been involved with the rebel fighters have no education or skills to support themselves.  Up to 70 percent of combatants in Liberia’s war were children under the age of 18. Rebel fighters who surrender their guns need something to replace them. Trade schools and apprentice programs offer the opportunity to learn a skill or trade for the future. The limited remaining tools are not affordable and hard to find. This project will give tools of a trade to individuals interested in learning a trade and changing their lives. 

BBCWM accepts contributions for tools to be used to train young men in skills and trades.

 Liberia’s future depends on former child fighters becoming productive citizens. The Carpentry Tool Kit Project will ship 150 carpentry tools kits to Liberia in October, 2004.

 TOOLS CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF WAR IN LIBERIA

Regional Children's Resource Centers
More than 80 percent of Liberia’s schools were destroyed by war. Regional children's resource centers are needed to provide for educational training, conflict resolution, and a computer-learning center with Internet services. This center will provide an opportunity for children to learn computer skills and access Internet based education and training classes. Higher-level skills will enable future job opportunities for these children as they enter the workplace. Conflict resolution is a critical need to ensure that children learn better ways to resolve conflict than fighting and war. The Regional Children’s Resource Centers can also serve as teacher training centers. There is no electricity in Liberia to support computers and other electronic teaching equipment. The location of the first center will be at the Baptist House, due to the availability of a generator. 

Children are the seeds of hope for the future of the country of Liberia.

Children's Books and Supplies Project
800,000 Liberian children have had no school or their schooling severely disrupted due to war and displacement. There is a critical need for books, crayons, children reader books, diapers, and supplies for the children of Liberia. The civil war has left many children orphaned and homeless. Relief centers have been established to care for orphans, adolescent single mothers, ex-combatants, abandoned, and neglected children. The children of Liberia are vulnerable to the lack of food, clothing, and shelter. While delivering rice to an orphanage, Rev. Emile Sam-Peal reports that a large group of children had only one coloring book to share. The teacher tour out one picture and passed it around between the children. The children took turns coloring the picture with the remnants of a crayon that were barely big enough to hold.

Colored pens, crayons, and children’s school supplies have been shipped to Liberia. Literacy rates in Liberia are 30 %. Early readers, books, and flash cards are included to help teach children to read, and hope for the future. Children’s books, crayons, coloring pencils, children’s reader books, diapers and supplies are being collected for shipment to Liberia. The BBCWM provides basic school supplies for children and instructional materials for teachers. $25.00 will purchase basic school supplies for ten individual children. $50.00 will purchase teacher materials for large group instruction.

 “We know that a child who goes to school is a child who doesn’t go to war” – UNICEF Regional Director for West Africa.

Internet Service and Cafe` in Monrovia
Telephone and communication services in Liberia are poor and unreliable. There is a growing need for the Liberians to have adequate access to the global information network.  In response to this need, the Internet Café will seek to expand opportunities for local and global communication, by providing the following services: Internet Service, Fax-to-E-mail service, computer literacy education, and kiddies' internet education. 

The BBCWM is assisting the LBMEC in finding an Internet service provider for an Internet café in Monrovia, helping to determine the equipment requirements for the café, and resourcing the equipment and technical support. A Regional Children’s Resource Center is recommended for future children’s computer and Internet development project.

 The project proposal is available upon request.

Sewing Project
There is a critical need for funding at orphanages. The sewing project will send fabric, sewing machines, and a personal sewing kit which includes: thread, needles, scissors, and other sewing supplies to the Touching Humanity In Need of Kindness (THINK), located at Congo Town. THINK opened a care home for 25 former child combatant girls (11-16 years old) with 15 children. Some of these combatants were taken by rebel fighters and had babies from this situation. The supplies sent will be used for making clothes for use and potentially for sale. This will give participants new skills and allow them to help themselves generate income. Additional sewing kits will be distributed to schools and orphanages.

60 sewing kits, 4 manual sewing machines, teacher’s kits, and over 1,000 yards of fabric and material were shipped to Liberia.

Pastors Study Bible Project 
During the recent civil war in Liberia many pastors lost what little study material they had. A good study Bible would be helpful to them.   They have requested 150 Quest and 150 NIV Study Bibles for pastors. The cost including shipping for new hardcover editions is $11.00 for Quest Study Bibles and $13.00 for NIV Study Bibles. Additional study Bibles will be sent to students at the seminary. Additional new Bibles will be sent for Pastors and churches to use and distribute. Bibles are purchased in large quantities at discount prices.

Over 600 Bibles and study Bibles will be shipped to Liberia on the container shipping from Harrisonburg, Virginia in October, 2004.

Cards for Liberia: 'A Cause for Creation', handmade card fund raising project

School Building Project
Over 80 percent of Liberia’s schools were destroyed by war. There is a formal request for assistance in building a school at Children Relief Ministry (CRM) located at Sincor-Monrovia. CRM caters to the less fortunate, orphaned and abandoned children. In April of 2004, CMR was evicted from the schoolhouse they had been leasing since 1994. Currently a temporary stick frame with a reed thatch roof is the temporary school for the children. Funds will be used to purchase building materials for the school building. The LBMEC will administer purchasing materials and coordinate building the school building.

Clothes for Children
We are collecting clothes, diapers, shoes, and other items to send to children in Liberia. The BBCWM and the LBMEC partner in supplying clothes and other supplies to 9 schools and 6 orphanages in Liberia. Clothes and supplies are included in container shipments.
 

Adopt An Orphan
Thirty percent of children suffer from malnutrition and many survive on a single meal of rice a day. The youth group at Browntown Baptist Church has adopted two orphans in Liberia. $20 per month will support an orphan with food, clothes, personal hygiene items, and other supplies.  Coming soon a sponsorship program for orphans!

 
Pastor Mentoring Program
This program offers anyone interested to mentor and supports a pastor in Liberia. The civil war and crisis in Liberia has stressed everyone physically and emotionally. A mentor in the US offers a pastor someone to listen to and lean on during times of struggle and strife. The sharing of information, encouragement, and challenge can be a vital support for a pastor in the middle of great challenge. Having someone to pray with them and for them is a great comfort. We can offer hope and encouragement for the future. This program, in its second year, is greatly limited by the lack of adequate, affordable Internet access. The Internet Café, which is a current project, will greatly facilitate this project when complete.  Financial support, $33 per month, can help a pastor feed his family one meal of rice a day for a month.

Latrine Building Project - Browntown Baptist Church
The Christians Relief Ministries has requested funding and support for a latrine for the orphans and displaced children at the orphanage near Paynesville. Currently an open dug pit provides the only service to the orphanage. An architect, who is a Deacon in a Baptist Church has designed a latrine building. The LBMEC will purchase the material and supervise the construction of the building. Browntown Baptist Church has collected funds to support this project. Construction should begin in October of 2004.   This project was completed.

Windmill Water Project
There is no electricity to power well pumps in Liberia. Windmill can power a pump for use in hand-dug wells. Windmill powered pumps can deliver water to a storage tank, where water can be treated and purified. All the hand well pumps we have shipped to Liberia are designed to be used with a windmill. 

Medical and Animal Health Supplies Project
Request donations of medical and animal health supplies from manufacturers, suppliers, and individuals for use in the Liberia Livestock Project. Antibiotics, dewormers, livestock identification systems, topical treatment, ointments, sprayers, and other medical supplies have been shipped. The Virginia Baptist Mission Board sponsored Liberia Livestock Project includes cattle, sheep, and goats. 

Livestock and Agronomy Consulting Team
The consulting team reviews current agronomic and feeding practices involved in the cattle project and other agricultural efforts. The purpose of this team is to make recommendations to maximize the agricultural resources, to research and develop new income revenues from agriculture, effectively utilize resources, and maximize opportunities for the LBMEC.  A poultry proposal has been submitted for consideration to supplement the existing sheep, goat, and cattle production.

Food and Grain Processing Project
Agriculture is a key to the revitalization of the economy of Liberia. Corn and Soybeans can be grown for grain to be utilized as a food source or feed to livestock to improve meat quality. The 3 small rice-processing plants near Monrovia were destroyed during the recent conflict. There currently is no viable means of processing grains. This project includes determining the equipment requirements, finding or developing the equipment to process grain, and ship to Monrovia. Farmer’s in the Shenandoah Valley donated funds to purchase a used John Deere trailer-mounted grinder with bagger. The grinder has 3 screens, which will allow for grinding of rice, and other grains for livestock. This grinder has been shipped to Liberia.

Poultry Project
Poultry provides low cost meat protein at affordable prices. This project will send poultry watering and feeding equipment to initiate a poultry-growing program. The goal is to eventually grow up to 50,000 chickens per group.  Chicks currently cost $1.50 USD per head and need to be imported from neighboring countries. Finished birds are currently sold at $ 5.00 per head.

Poultry producers shipped poultry equipment to Liberia on the container from Harrisonburg, Virginia in October 2004.

Livestock Handling Equipment Project
Design, develop, and manufacture a livestock handling system for long horned cattle. There is a need for livestock handling equipment to allow for livestock to be handled safely. A head gate designed to hold cattle for vaccination and treatment is in critical need. A Rockingham County grain farmer donated a head gate, which will accommodate long horned cattle. Tarter Gate Company in Kentucky donated 2 heavy-duty coral panels. The head gate and coral panels are necessary to build a system to safely handle cattle and have been shipped to Liberia.

Communications and Internet
Design, develop, and implement an Internet website to access information on this effort to the worldwide web. Manage the process of Internet communications. Update, maintain, and establish links to enhance and improve capabilities of the website. Establish and maintain email services for the international transmission of information and communication with the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Education Convention and partners worldwide. Maintain resource files with information, documents, and pictures.

Information and Media
Manage and coordinate information with the media. Effective communications by utilizing printed information with news articles, brochures, and information handouts. Write articles and document information regarding projects and efforts. Coordinate information from the children projects with the LBMEC.

Kwendin Vocational Training Center Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project
This vision of this long-term project is to establish a Christian based trade and agricultural training center.  The Kwendin Vocational Training center is 2,300 acres of property of the Liberia Baptist Mission and Education Convention located in Nimba country. The campus is located on the outskirt of the village of Kwendin, 400 miles from the capital of Monrovia.

The goal of the project presents itself in four broad aspects:
    a. To provide educational/vocational training within a Christian environment.
    b. Capacity building and skills transfer to instructional & administrative staff.
    c. Management/reorganization of the school farm and forest for self-sufficiency.
    d. Rehabilitation of existing infrastructure

Proposed project actions to achieve the goals/objective: placement of Christian worker, rehabilitation of trade shops, staff housing, and rubber farm, provision of generator for electricity. Capacity building and skill transfer of farm manager, provision of tools and equipment, agricultural activities, accelerated inland fisheries development, initiation of forestry activities and establishment of health post.

The project proposal is available upon request.