The scope and impact of our CHA community health
work in Liberia has rapidly expanded over the
last eight months thanks to the super natural
provision of funding and other resources. Thank
you for your prayers and support. Please pray
that the CHA’s will be able to continue
to heal, teach and bless tens of thousands of
war affected Liberians in remote rural communities
of Liberia.
• 112,171 children vaccinated in Nimba
in the “Kick Polio Out Of Liberia”
vaccination campaign in Oct/Nov 2004 /Mar 2005
• 1371 fully active Community Health Ambassadors
CHAs volunteers providing health education,
first aid, child protection,
evangelism and spiritual care in 350 villages
with local churches
• 7 stationary clinics rehabilitated,
2 mobile clinics in operation, 30 hand pumps,
160 wells, 215 latrines constructed, - all these
serving 131,000 people.
• Since October over 8,000 people have
found new life in Christ and are being built
up in their hope and faith by CHA’s with
the local churches. 72,158 patients served in
9 Equip supported clinics since Aug 2004
• CHAs in 162 communities are engaged
in successful joint income generation projects
80% of profits for CHAs needs 20% of profits
for community development needs.
• Income from the sale of 7,000
Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets has been successfully
used by 28 communities to build their own wells,
nursery schools, community houses, midwife houses
etc.
• 180 school health teachers have been
trained and equipped in 86 schools in Nimba,
giving preventative health training to 8700
students to be agents of change
• 170,000 listening audience for Equip’s
CHA education radio broadcasts twice weekly
on 7 local FM radio stations.
Recently, Equip Liberia has partnered with UNICEF
to support the reintegration of ex child fighters
into society. These children have submitted
their arms and have been reunified with their
families or are hosted in foster families. Our
staff are committed to provide psychosocial
care and career counseling to 450 ex combatants
and we hope to facilitate the enrollment of
at least 200 of these children in school. In
order to accomplish this we have trained our
staff in conflict management and counseling
skills. We will also train the teachers and
principals of the schools that host these children.
Many children that have been directly involved
in armed conflict are a hardened challenging
group to work with. Can you imagine the lasting
effects a child will have after being brutalized
by the effects of war. Young Emmanuel, who was
found on the streets of Monrovia, has burn marks
all along his arms. His eyes are big and somber.
Many children like him were forced to abuse
and kill until it became a habit. They find
it difficult to determine right from wrong.
Some can be a rough, aggressive bunch that demand
much and contribute little. Since they have
violated their conscience during the war, lying,
stealing or even killing, are considered acceptable
behaviors to them. This is why they are such
easy targets for recruitment. Parents or families
who were separated from their children in the
heat of the war find it difficult to cope with
their changed aggressive, rebellious children.
Communities as well rally against the many benefits
these combatants receive over their own children
(who did not fight) in their attempt to reintegrate
child soldiers back into acceptable society
life.
Please pray for these children.
They are Liberia’s future and Liberia’s
future is at great risk!
Dave was recently in a Child Protection meeting
to revise the reporting form for Child Right
abuses. He was very surprised to have to defend
his position to have ritualistic killings, and
forced initiations placed on the reporting form
of child abuses. Two Liberians in the forum
were adamant that these incidents were only
rumors. He was delighted when the final forms
came out with these atrocities also highlighted.
This is just one step forward to our fight against
the destructive effects of the “Devil
Bush” Poro secret societies.
