Spring 2007 Newsletter

This is an outline report on my trip to Liberia the first two weeks of April 2007.  Jeff Carlson and Joni Candler traveled with me.  Jeff is a highly skilled mechanic and church leader, Joni is a former youth minister and a medical administrator and vision therapist.

I had an aggressive agenda, and this report follows that agenda in outline and comment form. 

A top priority item was to start immediate proceedings to incorporate Revive Liberia in Liberia.  I met with Peter Gebeor, Director in Liberia about the steps needed to organize and incorporate and the reasons this needs to be done as soon as possible.

As a result of this meeting a Board of Organization was chosen: 4 men from UBC, Sen. Ennis, Col. Babankollie Zinnahthe Assistant chief  of the national police and Rev. Cole, head of a group of Pentecostal churches.

This Board of Organization is to write bylaws and incorporation letters and a permanent board will be chosen at the first meeting or before by election.  They will use some of our corporate documents as models.

Door Project

• Shipping our first doors is set for October 2007.
• A new shop was built in Monrovia and Bahvid, a master cabinet maker is running it.  It is next to the Parker Paint school.  High school and elementary students can use it.  Bobbie will teach the classes.  The lumber that is in Monrovia will be moved to the shop to start drying.  The men are building a solar dryer.  We need to get turbo vents to them.. 
• The wood meter was delivered and men were trained on its use. 
• Two new sources of timber have been proposed.  Both are closer to Monrovia.  One is assessable by rail, with a shipment cost of ½ of trucking.
• The men in Jesuju has set up a nice carpentry shop.
• I measured moisture in many samples; lumber cut for about a month gets to 12 to 16 percent by itself, depending on species.   I measured some wood that was at 10 percent, it had been cut for some time, over a year and was in a dry place.  It is possible to get it down, but not feasible in the short term.  Bahvid wants to cut frames a little big, right now, stack and weight them and then let them dry, it will speed up drying in the kiln. 
• I bought them some tools, they really need a combination plane at $350 for cutting molding. 
• We distributed all the tools we sent in the container to the carpenters in all locations. 

Delaney Burgess Children's Mission

• We had a dedication ceremony for the building.  It is a good building on a great piece of property.  2 acres of sloping ground near the hill top.  There is s UN post just up the road so there is traffic of UN vehicles all day and night.  There is a good well.  There is ample room to expand.  Peter is planning for100 kids at capacity with a church and school and dormitories. Right now the building on site will be used to house 25 kids.  It will be the caretakers house and Administration building in the future.  There have, however been thefts of tools and some material.  The men have been sleeping there to stop this.

• We need support for kids.  It is true that the UN wants to shut down orphanages.  Most are now called children missions for this reason. There is a different emphasis: Children's Missions provide education and a loving Christian home, orphanages are warehouses.

• I made contact with an adoption agency in Liberia, part us and part Liberian.  Had kids on the plan e with us that were adopted, 4 in total.  The woman contacted me here in the States, the name of the agency is Addy’s Hope.  Website is www.addyshope.com.  The folks there have mixed feelings about adoption, but it is something we should look into.

Computers

• Ubuntu training-  training given to key men  the necessity of using ubuntu was expressed to them so they will use it and go through the learning curve.

• Sales-Peter (I concur) feels the computers should be given away or used in church internet cafes and schools.  Sales have been nil and no one is buying.  They all want laptops and I understand why.  so do most others in the organization.

• Donations   Saw some donated computers

• Parker Paint has set up a cafe and school with computers.  There has been a 1/3 failure rate with the computers we sent.  (Password problem at start up Bill? before boot of op system.)  I believe it is their generator, which is not rated for digital products.  They are studying the problem and working on the line specs.  They have a very sharp hardware guy and also a new guy who has used ubuntu in Ghana in his computer school.  a couple of the machines had ram problems, we need to ship sdram and spare parts in the future.  Parker Paint internet café and computer school went on-line the week of April 21. 

• I did not deliver the server to Liberian Christian College, but I got it ready to deliver.  Dr. Kofi is still in the US on health related problems.  This can wait for a couple of months.

Pool Covers

There is  a good market for manufactured covers for commercial trucks. We can start a small manufacturing shop to cut the covers and make truck covers for sale.  The covers are used for roofs on schools and churches.  We need to determine what percentage is for donation and what for sales.

We have been collecting covers from a pool cover manufacturer and plans are being made for a micro-business to cut them, install grommets and ropes and sell them to truckers.

Clinics

Joni Candler did a great deal of work on this, spending a lot of time with the four nursing students.  We visited three clinics and a hospital.  The story is the same in all of them.  Lack of facilities and supplies.

Medical needs critical, NGO's are pulling out and shutting clinics.  There is a second wave of death from the war going on.  We need to start a clinic.

Plans are being made to open a clinic.  This is a huge task and large sums of money will be needed.  Any clinic for the poor will have to be funded almost 100%  Sarah Kangar is an experienced administrator and is leading the effort. 

Charcoal Retort

The men have detailed plans, they know how to build it and we will proceed when the time is right.  I looked at many chambers.  The price is high in Monrovia as the gas station owners are looking forward to power and gas stations with pumps has driven up the cost of big tanks.  We are exploring doing it in Buchanan where tank prices are probably lower.  Peter’s brother is a welder and has the welder to do this job..

Art Show/Cultural Exchange With Jackson State University

Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss. Is one of the largest African American universities in the U.S.  They are going to feature Liberian artists in a one month show in April 2008.  We had three meetings in Liberia and talked about the kind of work we want.  Samuel King as heading up finding artists.  He is an artist and in Peter’s church.    Judging will be done by photos.  I gave Sam a digital camera so he can do this work.

CD Recording

Done, went well.  Had four choirs: two English and two Bassa.  We got good material for a CD of Liberian music.  We want to use this for promotional purposes and maybe for sale to cover costs at churches we visit.  I taped two hours of music in a wonderful facility.

Theater/Christian Entertainment Center

We have bought land between Monrovia and Roberts’s Field  The deal should be closed by the end of this week.   There is a building boom area, nice houses but no facilities.  We are still looking for investors. This is a Joint Venture, outside of Revive Liberia Missions.  All proceeds benefit various mission endeavors in Liberia.

Misc. Notes

Met with Ruth Caesar, shot video at a free school school started by parents in a very poor part of Monrovia.

Met with R. Gardener’s aunt who runs a school near the compound, they need a tarp badly for extra space.  400 plus kids are there.

Jeff Carlson got the big Onan generator running.  Thanks to Bill Sebald for the donation.

Jesaju village: they cleared the road with our chainsaws, also built bridge.  We were the first car to cross the bridge and the first car to ever enter their village.  They were VERY happy to see us come. 

Monrovia is growing due to influx of people returning and people coming in from the bush. 

AIDS is on the rise as is cholera.

Liberian Association for the Blind need shoes, gave money to fix typewrites and Braillers (Braille typewriters)