I have struggled with trying to capture my thoughts and
impressions of our trip to Liberia. It has been difficult for me to put into
words what I have observed and learned. But, I will do my best to share them
with you.
The people that we met are some of the most loving, kind,
humble, and hard working people that I have ever had the opportunity of working
with. They really love the Lord and it showed in the way they loved to worship
and in the genuine way they loved one another. They truly are a joyful people.
I was somewhat surprised that a significant number of them (probably
20 percent or so) were poorly educated and could not read, write or speak English.
I did not expect that I would have to use an interpreter during my classes.
There are 16 tribes in Liberia and therefore there are 16 different native
languages. Most of the younger people in our classes (under 40 or so) were
somewhat proficient in English.
I was also surprised by the way they were always on time for
our classes and for church services. This is not always the case in other parts
of Africa. When they first told us that they wanted to divide the people into
three (3) groups and have three two hour sessions each day, I had my doubts that
we could stay on schedule. But, I have to admit, it worked and I was able to
start and stop on time for each class.
The people of Liberia have a hard life. Most homes do not
have running water and they do not have inside kitchens to prepare their meals.
The homes in Ganta were mostly made of handmade bricks and stucco and were very
small (2 or 3 rooms). Outside of the capital city there is no electricity. All
of the business and many of the homes use generators. Of course, the gasoline
they use to power their generators is very expensive.
Islam is growing here in Liberia. The Saudi’s are pouring
money into the country to build mosques and to pay young men to study Islam. My
research says that 85 percent of the country is Christian and 12 percent is
Muslim. However, one study that I read said that approximately half of the
population is animist. It is apparent that many people may be from Christian
families but they are not living their faith. Crime and petty theft is a major problem
here. All businesses have some type of security guards.
The public education system in Liberia appears to be broken.
We visited a public school in Ganta and I was absolutely shocked by what I saw.
The classrooms do not have desks or even chairs. There are no books and no
resources for the teachers. This school did not have windows or doors that
could be locked. The floors and walls were dirty and filthy. The one classroom
that we did go into did have a blackboard. Yet, they had a sign out front
promoting Liberia’s public education as “being free for all”. Statistics
published by our State Department say that 60 percent of the population is
considered to be illiterate. A bright spot is the schools that are operated by
Christian organizations. These appear to be well run and doing a good job in
educating their students. The downside is that most people cannot afford to
send their children to a privately operated school.
I am not quite sure how much the UN, our USAID, and the
non-governmental organizations that are working here are really helping? It
appears that they have funded numerous projects to train people for jobs, make
crafts, etc., but most of them are now closed and the buildings abandoned. We
saw lots of empty buildings with signs that said “sponsored by the UN and/or
USAID”.
Liberia is a very poor nation. Thirty plus years of civil
war and rule by dictators have left the country in a real mess. The entire GDP of
the country is only $2.4 billion dollars (US) and the average family earns
about $600 US a year. There are only a few paved roads outside of the capital
city. No sewer system. No garbage collection or other basic governmental
functions that we have here in the US. The health care system is very basic.
There are some small clinics and everyone must pay for their own treatment and
prescriptions. Hospitals are poorly equipped and staffed, at least by western
standards. There are a number of smaller clinics that are run by non-profit
organizations.
The unemployment rate in Liberia is nearly 85 percent. This
figure is somewhat misleading in that everyone works at something. They raise
their own vegetables, chickens, pigs, goats, etc., and they sell or trade their
goods and do odd jobs. The UN says that 80 percent of the people are poor. The
country’s population is 3.8 million and 44 percent is under 15 years of age.
With the lack of infrastructure, poor education, and lack of jobs, the future
does not look very good for these young people.
A positive thing is that Liberia has a wealth of natural
resources. These include rubber trees, timber, iron ore, lots of farmable land,
and a climate that is favorable for agriculture. But, they do not have the
infrastructure (roads, rail, etc.) necessary to take advantage of the resources
they do have. And, the business climate is not conducive to foreign investment.
The country is still too unstable for most outside companies to risk investing
their money.
The UN has a large foot print here in Liberia. They not only
have agencies that are trying to help rebuild the education and economic
systems, they are also trying to train and equip the police force and military.
There is a great fear that the country could possibly slip back into civil
unrest once the UN removes most of its peacekeeping forces later this year.
Several people that I spoke with on this subject told me that the Liberian
police force is not yet capable of keeping the peace and maintaining law and
order.
Please continue to pray for Liberia. Ask God to strengthen
His church in Liberia to be the “salt” and “light” that can bring
reconciliation, recovery, and hope to a nation that really needs it. While
those of us in the American church and from other organizations and ministries
such as World Vision and Food for the Hungry can help, ultimately, it is up to
the people of Liberia to do it for themselves. I pray that they will.
Blessiings!
Fred
