Population: 4,294,077
Percentage Below Poverty Line: 63.8%
Our call to Liberia began when the Ebola Outbreak struck the country. We knew we could not sit still – we were able to fund a shipping container of medical supplies to send to Liberia to replenish the empty shelves of 13 clinics around the country!
Explore the tabs below to learn more about our project in Liberia.
Construction for St. John the Baptist Church is still underway, but that is not stopping the surrounding village from drawing near to the Lord! Individuals and families gathered together in their Sunday best, sitting on makeshift pews made of wooden slats and cinder blocks, to participate in the Mass that was celebrated by Bishop Andrew Karney.
Thank you to all of the benefactors who are supporting the restoration of the Catholic heritage in Betu and Sasstown. This Mass celebration, despite the unfinished church structure, shows that the faith is alive in Liberia! The community’s dedication to the faith is a beautiful reminder that the Church is the body of believers, not the building. We are hopeful for the remainder of the construction and are excited to provide this deserving community with a newly finished church.
Thanks to our remarkable donors, CWM has been able to fund the rebuilding of the over one-hundred-year-old St. John the Baptist Church along with the purchase of three canoes to satisfy the need for stable transportation in the Betu area. The Diocese of Cape Palmas is grateful to Catholic World Mission and its benefactors for supporting the restoration of the Catholic heritage in Betu and Sasstown.
This past summer kicked off the construction process and by the end of August, the pillars and beams were established into the foundation. Through determination and grit, the construction team successfully built the roof onto the church!
The next restoration phase entails plastering pillars, building walls in the sanctuary, crafting the front gable, and laying the floor inside of the church. Future plans include installing electricity inside of the church.
Thanks to a generous donor, we purchased three canoes for the Betu community. These canoes will transport pilgrims across the Gbartu River for the annual diocesan pilgrimage. Due to deplorable road conditions in the area, these canoes have been a blessing to the Betu community-providing safer passage to the outstation.
Bishop Karnley Crossing the Gbartu River Between Betu and Sasstown. →
Liberia is no stranger to death. In the past twenty years, Liberia has faced two devastating civil wars, ending the lives of 250,000 people. In March of 2014, the Ebola outbreak started in Lofa County in Liberia. Liberia alone has over 7,000 cases and over 4,800 deaths from Ebola. Total, there has been over 28,000 cases, with Liberia having the most.
7,000 people have died from Ebola. With no cure yet, hospitals are in desperate need of preventative medical supplies.
“As the Ebola virus epidemic worsens, I want to express my deep concern for this relentless illness that is spreading particularly on the African continent and especially among populations that are already disadvantaged.” – Pope Francis
With the help of our donors and partners, we were able to send a shipping container of medical supplies to the Liberian Fellowship of Christian Nurses in October 2014. The Fellowship of Christian Nurses in Liberia is a strong group of Christian women, most of whom are midwives. The shipping container they requested included: gloves, plastic aprons, disposable gowns, disposable aprons, caps and shoes, buckets with forceps to help with washing of hands, chloride, hand sanitizer, soap, syringes, boots, face masks, goggles, t-shirts, books, seeds, intravenous cannula and fluids, antidiarrhea, antiemetic, antipyretics as well as other vital medical supplies.
Hospitals in eight different countries have benefited from the medical supplies including the largest treatment center for Ebola, Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. There the Serving in Mission missionaries are treating Ebola cases. Many other hospitals in Liberia have had to shut their doors because they are not equipped to prevent the spread of Ebola, and many health workers have contracted the disease. Ebola is not the only health condition that needs to be addressed though. The James N. David Jr. Memorial Hospital delivers 12-20 babies daily but struggles to stay open. All resources in the country are currently going to Ebola causing a desperate situation where people have no access to care and are dying of regionally common health problems such as malaria, typhoid, or complications from labor and delivery.
Liberia is in a state of unrest. The unstable government and lack of trust of higher power (due to two civil wars in the last twenty years) leaves the people of Liberia feeling unsafe and vulnerable. The government lacks resources to help its own country. The people of Liberia beg for the help of the international community to find a solution before something worse happens.
Everyone is thankful for the timely arrival of the medical supplies. Hospitals and clinics sat with empty shelves waiting the medicine. When the container arrived, 13 hospitals sent representatives to pick up the medicine. Everyone is full of joy because the medicine brings hope to the country.
The Liberian people will forever remain grateful for your generosity.
We hope and pray that God will bless you as you will also be a blessing to the people of Liberia.
The following hospitals have benefited from your donations.
