The construction crew, architect, and volunteer team (October 22, 2021)
In 2020, I was with a volunteer team in Liberia. I had to leave ahead of the rest of the team to return to my job. As I said goodbye on that March 1st, we parted with the words, “See you in a couple of weeks,” because we had a board meeting scheduled. Two weeks later, the United States and much of the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I retired from that job last week, and we are still in the midst of a global pandemic.
Yet, life goes on. People have gotten married, had children, and celebrated milestone birthdays. At the university where I worked, new employees were hired, others resigned, and others, like me, have retired.
During these two years, Dignity:Liberia’s plans for a maternity waiting home have moved from the dream stage to architectural drawings to construction. People have asked us about the sustainability of our plans. Their inquiry is about our finances. Not being a “numbers” person, my personal response is this:
The university where I worked made some major cuts to its athletics program and to staffing in order to survive. Many powerful corporations have crashed or received bailouts to survive. Multiple NGOs pulled out of Liberia and some have not yet returned, in response to COVID.
Dignity:Liberia, on the other hand, continued to take teams to Liberia and has continued to visit the Phebe Rehab Center, giving hope to young ladies who often feel outcast and forgotten. We have sent medical teams to work with local hospitals. We are now in the midst of constructing House of Hope and Dignity, the first phase of our compound, thus providing jobs and pouring money into the local economy.
If that’s not a sustaining presence, I don’t know what is.
Yet, life goes on. People have gotten married, had children, and celebrated milestone birthdays. At the university where I worked, new employees were hired, others resigned, and others, like me, have retired.
During these two years, Dignity:Liberia’s plans for a maternity waiting home have moved from the dream stage to architectural drawings to construction. People have asked us about the sustainability of our plans. Their inquiry is about our finances. Not being a “numbers” person, my personal response is this:
The university where I worked made some major cuts to its athletics program and to staffing in order to survive. Many powerful corporations have crashed or received bailouts to survive. Multiple NGOs pulled out of Liberia and some have not yet returned, in response to COVID.
Dignity:Liberia, on the other hand, continued to take teams to Liberia and has continued to visit the Phebe Rehab Center, giving hope to young ladies who often feel outcast and forgotten. We have sent medical teams to work with local hospitals. We are now in the midst of constructing House of Hope and Dignity, the first phase of our compound, thus providing jobs and pouring money into the local economy.
If that’s not a sustaining presence, I don’t know what is.
Kathy Beth Stavinoha
Kathy Beth lives in Austin, TX with her husband and cat. She recently retired from St. Edward’s University after 21+ years of service. She graduated from high school in Monrovia, Liberia in 1977.
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