Dignity:Liberia
  • Home
  • What is fistula?
    • Liberia: A Nation in Recovery
  • Our Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Liberia NGO Office
    • Our Partners
  • Get Involved
    • Maternity Waiting Home
    • Past Campaigns and Updates
    • Serve as a Dignity Advocate
    • Healthcare Service Teams
  • Donate
    • Give to Dignity:Liberia
    • Donate Supplies
    • Our Wishlist
    • Meet Our Supporters
  • News
    • Let's Palava
    • Board Access (restricted)
    • Photos
  • Contact

Charles Luke Agricultural Project

3/27/2017

1 Comment

 
Liberia’s Todee district has rich, fertile soil.  The Charles Luke community wanted to be able to support itself by undertaking various agricultural projects as they had the acreage for such an initiative. 
 
They turned to various sources for financial assistance in obtaining the tools and seeds they needed to get started, but without success.  Julius Luke ultimately contacted the Board of Dignity:Liberia.  We liked the proposal he presented and were very excited when, in 2016, one of our donors provided funds for the entire project.
 
The Charles Luke Community wasted no time in clearing the land with machetes, power tools, and fire.  They have watered by hand and with the aid of a pump. 
 
Julius wrote:
 
"Directly empowering locals to manage their own resources is the easiest way to develop any rural community.  People here are excited and amazed that Dignity:Liberia heard our cries and decided to directly empower us. This farm will serve as a major supplier of vegetables to Monrovia, Paynesville, and Kakata cities and also generate thousands of dollars yearly for 18 villages that forms part of a cooperative.  School fees, medication, and food will no longer be a major problem, as many villagers will now be earning money from the farm."
 
He told us: “You have directly impacted lives.”  Dignity:Liberia could not have helped the Charles Luke Community without the support that all our donors provide.  Thank you.
 
Julius shared a number of pictures of the agricultural project at its various stages that we are now sharing with you.
1 Comment

Past Due Babies

3/20/2017

0 Comments

 
My nephew by marriage became a father yesterday.  Aaron Joseph was due to arrive on Thursday but like so many babies, he ignored his due date.  His mom had received regular pre-natal care as she has easy access to an obstetrician.  His few extra days in the womb were not a big deal, and if necessary, the doctor would have induced labor.   
 
Many women in rural Liberia do not have the same health care advantages that my niece has.  Approximately 1,200 Liberian women and girls suffer with fistula, primarily because there is a lack of obstetric care in rural areas, resulting in extended hours or several days of difficult labor.
 
A number of them turn to traditional midwives for help with their deliveries.  Traditional midwives lack medical training.  Their methods are abhorrent and dangerous.  One fistula survivor shared that some traditional midwives rub pepper on a woman’s privates to make a woman push harder or even have ants up bite her in that area to help with contractions.  Another fistula survivor reported that her midwife bounced up and down on her belly, trying to force the baby to come out.
 
This is why it is vital to have more medically educated midwives to provide safe deliveries in rural Liberia.  The Phebe School of Nursing includes certified midwifery among its training programs.  The school is within a quarter-mile walking distance of the Liberia Fistula Project Rehabilitation and Reintegration site and its students have direct contact with the fistula survivors throughout their training. 
 
The school is in desperate need of updated educational material and the ability to provide instructional DVDs to multiple classes simultaneously.  Supporting the Phebe School of Nursing is one of Dignity:Liberia's priorities.
Picture
Members of the 8th graduating class of the Fistula Rehabilitation and Reintegration Center perform a skit that demonstrates a traditional midwife delivering a baby.

0 Comments

The Power of Love

3/13/2017

2 Comments

 
Morris Koon plays a vital role in Dignity:Liberia’s relationship with the Liberia Fistula Project.  He has served as a liaison between our organization and Liberia’s Ministry of Health; he keeps us informed about news of the Rehab Center in Phebe, and accompanies us on trips to the Rehab Center.  He is always cheerful, always smiling.  I recently asked him to share why he works with the Liberia Fistula Project.  I was deeply touched by his words about the power of love.  Following is what he shared: 

It did not occur to me that one’s upbringing at times determines his path in life.  I came from a large family of 10 siblings of different fathers.  My father abandoned me at a little age because of a quarrel between he and my mother that I did not provoke, neither was I a part of.  My mother could not afford a meal and school for me and my brothers and sisters, many of whose fathers had also left.  I was fortunate to live with and be raised by foster parents.

During my years of maturity with my foster parents, I understood and appreciated what it meant to be loved and to love.  I faced strong resistance and rejection from foster brothers and sisters.  I was branded a thief, a nobody, etc.  My humility got me to where I am today.

Working with the fistula project is a passion that has grown from my childhood days.  I learnt what it meant to smile in the face of difficulties; I therefore enjoy being in the limelight of making someone smile.  I pledge to do all I can to bring smile to the needy in whatever way I can.  Fistula survivors need love, they need care, and they need family.  They can count on me because that was why I signed on for this job.

Picture
2 Comments

Phebe Rehab Center News

3/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Last month we received some exciting news from Morris Koon about the Rehab Center in Phebe.  A new education building is being constructed at the facility.  (At the Rehab Center, fistula survivors learn a trade that will enable them to earn a living.  Upon graduation, they receive financial assistance and the supplies they need to start a business.)
 
There are also plans to construct a new kitchen, once sufficient funds are raised, that will be located at the back of the new training center.  The present kitchen, which is in a state of disrepair, will be demolished after the new kitchen is built.
Picture
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Dignity Advocate Teams
    In A Fistula Survivor's Voice
    Trips

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    RSS Feed


    Visit our photo gallery >
 
Bringing restoration and hope to women with fistula and their communities 
through healing, education, and prevention.

Let's  end fistula together

Follow. Like. Share.
Dignity:Liberia is a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation. 
Donations made to Dignity:Liberia are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
© 2020  Dignity: Liberia
Web Design + Development by The Brave Creative