Next year when I go to Liberia, I hope to get my hair done in cornrows by one of the cosmetology students.  When I went in 2012, my hair was too short to be braided.  (Besides, I spent most of my time observing and participating in the tie and dye class.)  When I went in 2015, classes were not in session as commencement ceremonies were being held. 
 
Kathi, Michelle, and Ruth have all gotten cornrows while in Phebe.  Michelle sat outside to have her hair done.  I don’t know why.  Perhaps the lighting was better outside.  Perhaps it was too hot in the classroom.  I know that when I have my hair done, it will be in a new classroom in the new education building. 
 
As you know, we are helping to provide supplies for the classrooms.  The cosmetology instructor requested a variety of items for hair.  We’re very excited that because the new building will have electricity, she included flat irons and a hair dryer on her wish list.  She also requested human cosmetology manikins so the students can perfect their skills before trying them on a human being.  In addition, the instructor requested nail polish for manicures and pedicures. 
 
You can take part in this exciting venture by doing any or all of the following:
 

1. Make a purchase from our wish list.
2. Go to our Giving Page and make a donation restricted to supplying the new education classrooms.  
3. Share our wish list by social media, explaining what it is that we are trying to accomplish.

 
Thank you so much for your support! 

Graduation invitations are starting to arrive in the mail with pictures of smiling graduates.  Congratulatory cards are prominently displayed on racks and mortarboard-shaped balloons are waving over checkout stands in the stores.  Commencement ceremonies have begun to take place across the United States and in other countries as well.
 
This June will be 40 years since I graduated from the American Cooperative School (ACS), Monrovia.  Our graduation gowns were tie-dyed!  Graduating seniors paired up: one boy and one girl.  Each couple wore a matching tie-dyed cap and gown of their own choosing.  It was colorful, beautiful, and unique.  Traditionally graduation ceremonies were held in the ACS gymnasium, but that year repairs were being made to the gym’s roof, so the Class of ’77 got permission to hold commencement ceremonies in the Centennial Memorial Pavilion where presidential inaugurations were held! 
 
I was midway through my junior year of high school when we moved to Liberia.  Although warmly welcomed to ACS, I was rather shy.  I was too shy to ask Emad out to the Sadie Hawkins Dance without Ward first explaining what it was to him.  I was too shy to go on our class trip to Nimba.  I was too shy to visit the Executive Mansion to arrange to use the Centennial Memorial Pavilion, even though I was helping plan graduation.  At least I wasn’t too shy to ask Lee to walk with me for graduation.
 
On Dignity:Liberia’s 2015 trip to Liberia, we got to visit our old school!  It is now The American International School of Monrovia but that didn’t matter.  We three ACS alumni were thrilled to tour the facility, now walled, and guarded.  Our team just showed up and the administrators kindly allowed us access and gave us a tour.  Air conditioning, computers, and on site residence halls for the teachers!  But the layout was still the same, familiar place.   
 
Also on that 2015 trip, we attended the first post-Ebola graduation held at the Phebe Rehab Center.  There were speeches (Kathi gave the keynote address), skits, and songs.  The graduates received cell phones, money, and starter kits to set up their businesses.  Following the official ceremony, there was lunch and dancing.  It was a joyful event.  What an honor to be there!
 
Graduation marks a special change in a person’s life.  We would love to see your graduation picture – any education level, no matter when you graduated.  Please tag Dignity:Liberia with your photo.  Be sure to tell us the name of your alma mater and your class year.  Congratulations to the class of 2017 for reaching this milestone. 

After reading last week’s blog, my brother Bill made a purchase from Dignity:Liberia’s wish list for the Rehabilitation Center in Phebe.  He also posted a link to the list on his Facebook page, so his friends would see it and be encouraged to support fistula survivors.
 
On Saturday morning, I read a comment by one of his friends, belittling his generosity and knocking all Non-Governmental Organizations.  To say I was vexed is an understatement!  After I thought about it a while, I realized his friend had a point.  Too often donations from well-meaning donors don’t reach those they are intended to help.
 
Fortunately, that is not the case with donations made to Dignity:Liberia.  We are well versed in the regulations required for getting supplies into Liberia and have shipped five containers of supplies to Liberia and shared container space on our most recent shipment.  Kathi, oversees packing in Missouri and is required to complete a very detailed bill of lading for shipment.  Once our container clears customs in Liberia, Emile Sam-Peal stores the supplies in a secure place until one of our teams arrives in Liberia.  Kathi accompanies every Dignity Advocate team   that goes to Liberia and oversees the unpacking of supplies.  The Dignity Advocate team delivers the supplies to their final destination.  With Dignity:Liberia, you can be sure your donation is secure!
 
I’m thankful that my brother has a generous heart.  In fact, I’ve been thrilled by the response to our efforts to supply the new education building.  Your charity will make a difference in the lives of so many people!  We are grateful for your generous hearts!

Kathi’s parents were missionaries to West Africa for 30 years, spending 25 of them in Liberia.  Her mother is a nurse who also practiced midwifery.  She has a humorous and captivating way of recounting her experiences, and I could listen to her for hours.  I recently asked “Mama Jane” to rehash one of my favorite stories about the time she puzzled a village chief.
 
Mrs. Park often visited Massaquoi Town for both professional and personal reasons, as she had made friends with Chief Varney and his wife.  Massaquoi Town is behind Rick’s Institute where the Parks lived and worked.  To get there, Mama Jane had to cross a small creek using a somewhat rickety bridge known as a “monkey bridge.”  She told me that most of the time she would crawl across it, as she wasn’t comfortable walking upright. 
 
One particular day she couldn’t use the bridge, even on her hands and knees, as a section was missing.  Although the water level was low enough that she could cross in the water, this was Rainy Season and her clothes would have been soaked.  So, she did what many of the locals did – she removed her clothing and walked across, holding the bundle of clothing on top of her head.  When she reached the other side, she put on her perfectly dry clothes and continued on her journey.
 
When she got to the village, Chief Varney looked her over.  He knew the bridge needed repair and was clearly puzzled by her dry clothes.  Then he burst out laughing.  Mama Jane asked him what made him laugh.  He told her, “That’s hard.”  She prodded him some more and he finally got out, “I know how you got here.”  What he didn’t know is that she had been forewarned, and was wearing a swimsuit underneath her clothes.
 
She told me, “You do what you have to do.”  Many women throughout Liberia were able to experience motherhood because of Mama Jane’s care and determination.  She even delivered a couple of babies to Chief Varney and his wife.

My own mother passed away 35 years ago at the young age of 59.  To honor her memory, I am donating to the Rebab Center in Phebe.  They are in need of many items to stock their new education building as well as for the general support of fistula survivors.  A number of these can be selected from our wish list on Amazon.  (NOTE: click on the Add Friend button so our shipping address will display as an option when you check out.)
 
You may also wish to honor your mother in this manner.  Also, please remember that any purchase made through AmazonSmile will generate a donation to Dignity:Liberia.  Simply designate us as the charity of your support through this link.

To all you moms out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Most tie-dyed outfits I see tend to have a swirl pattern.  In Liberia, tie-dye is an art form.  “Tie and Dye” is one of the skills taught to fistula survivors at the Rehab Center.  In 2012, we dignity advocates got a hands-on lesson in tie and dye from the instructor, Tawah.  I would like to share my recollection of the process.
 
The patterns had different names such as triangle, iron titties, salad, and sugar cane.  The way the cloth was folded and tied determined the resulting pattern.  Some patterns did not require tying.
 
Dye produced the color, caustic made the dye go into the cloth, and Sulphur bound the dye to the material.  During our lesson, we had to wear painter’s masks and gloves.  After dying the cloth, we spread it out on the ground to dry.  Later the Tie and Dye students took the fabric to the creek and washed it.  Next, the material was hung on lines to dry.  The next day, Tawah showed me how to pound the cloth with a wooden club on a wooden block.  It took a lot of strength and really brought out a shine!  Of course, we bought some of the material – particularly the ones each of us had dyed. 
 
The Rehab Center has requested bolts of good quality white cotton fabric for dying, as well as donations for the purchase of fabric and dye.  If you would like to make a donation, please go to our Giving Page.  We will soon post an expanded wish list that includes needs of the other instructors.  In the meantime, please contact us to learn more.