Jackson Carter is of invaluable assistance to Dignity:Liberia, accompanying teams on numerous trips and providing a variety of support.  Always gracious and humble, he never complains when asked to help, even when relaxing at the end of a long day.  In October of 2021, he kindly agreed to an interview.
 
The father of three children, Jackson enjoys helping others.  He is Kpelle, the largest tribe in Liberia.  At the time of the interview, he had worked at Lott Carey Mission for 24 or 25 years.  Initially hired to be a driver, he was promoted to supervise all of the drivers, and is in charge of maintenance of all the Lott Carey vehicles.
 
He learned about Dignity:Liberia from his boss, the Rev. Emile Sam-Peal, Director of Dignity:Liberia’s NGO office.  He feels that serving humanity is the best way to serve God and that by helping Dignity:Liberia, he doing that, as well as serving his boss.   
 
He had heard about fistula on the radio, but he did not know how widespread it was in Liberia.  He was deeply moved after meeting some of the young victims of obstetric fistula and hearing how the injury impacted their lives. 
 
He is gracious and humble and I am honored to know him.

Two of our board members, Anne-Marie and Charles Mueller, M.D., recently returned from a trip to Liberia.  While there, they traveled to Gbarnga to visit the Phebe Rehab Center.  There are no fistula survivors there at this time, but more women and girls are expected in early November, as they are scheduled for fistula repair surgery. 
 
Our goal is to prevent fistula from happening by having a maternity waiting home, House of Hope and Dignity, in rural Liberia.  From the report that Anne-Marie provided, we are getting closer to that goal!  She provided the following update on the progress:

• The walls are smooth
• The door frames are roughed in
  
• They are plastering around the windows.
• The electrical conduit is in place and breaker boxes are mounted
• Plumbing is in place, with water supply lines and drains
• The laundry room has a floor sink with drain in place as well as a room drain for any washer overflows.

 
She shared some fabulous pictures, giving me my first look inside.  I thought you might want to take a look as well.  Enjoy!

For several months I have written about the progress of the maternity waiting home project, House of Hope and Dignity, and about those involved in its design and construction.  This month’s blog introduces you to two young ladies whose hopes were put on hold as they dealt with hardships caused by obstetric fistula.  In October 2021, Mercy Benson and Jumah Fahnbulleh candidly spoke to Dignity:Liberia about their experiences with obstetric fistula.  Both still had their fistulas at that time.  Jumah has since improved and Mercy is now dry.  
 
Mercy Benson is from Bomi County, Liberia.  A high school graduate, she works as a Lab Assistant at a construction lab.  At the Phebe Rehab Center, she learned how to make soap and to bake.  She has two girls ages eleven, and nine-months at the time of the interview.  She got her fistula when her younger daughter was born.   
Jumah Fahnbulleh is 25 years old and comes from Grand Cape Mount County.  She also learned how to bake and make soap at the Phebe Rehab Center.  She wants to be a nurse.  She has two children.  Her sister is caring for them, while she goes through her fistula repair surgeries and rehabilitation.  When interviewed, her children were six and seven years of age.  Her baby did not live.  She had lived with her fistula for a year and three months.  She had two surgeries to repair the “toileting” (leaking feces) and was scheduled to have another in November to repair the “pee pee” problem (leaking urine).   
 
In this four-minute video, you will hear these young ladies’ stories in their own words.  Please consider making a donation toward Dignity:Liberia’s efforts to prevent other Liberians from experiencing fistula.  Thank you.   

The house that my husband and I recently bought has several trees on the property.  Many are surrounded by weeds, overgrown bushes, saplings and vines.  My first two attempts to clean them out resulted in my being stung by yellow jackets.  After some successful pruning, I got into poison ivy.  I am highly allergic.
 
My over-the-counter remedies had limited success.  I knew I needed to see a doctor fairly quickly.  I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to do so in a timely manner, because I did not yet have a doctor in Brenham, and new patient appointments were limited.  When I called, I was able to get a next-day appointment!  Even with medical care, it took over a week before the blisters stopped appearing.
 
My fear of not getting prompt treatment made me think of all the women and girls who have complications during their labor and delivery.  Is there nearby medical help?  Even if there is a doctor or clinic in the vicinity, will the expectant mother be seen?  Can she be healed from the damage caused by her prolonged labor?  Will she develop a fistula that can’t be repaired even after 2 or 3 surgeries?
 
I love flowers and gardening.  That’s why I was thrilled to have a role in establishing the nursery whose plants will serve the dual purpose of keeping down temperatures in House of Hope and Dignity, and beautifying the campus. 
 
Beautifying the flowerbeds in my yard is a dream of mine.  Being able to provide a place to care for and educate expectant mothers in their last weeks of pregnancy, is a dream of Dignity:Liberia.  We want Liberian women to have safe, live births and not suffer from the pain and stigma of obstetric fistula.
 
You can help us realize our dream.  Let people know about our work.  Ask them to follow us on Facebook.  Pray for the people working to end this preventable injury.  Make a gift by clicking on this link.
 
Thank you!

Last week I attended the Macdonald (my maiden name) family reunion that my brother hosted.  We traveled from all over the United States and ranged in age from 5-ish to 70-ish.  It was really something seeing three generations who are all descended from the same individual.  It got me to thinking about family.  Besides a common bloodline, what makes us family?
 
When I travel to Liberia, I see numerous individuals I call brother and sister.  We are not related by blood, but we are family, nonetheless.  We share meals, work together, worship together, relax together, and share news about our loved ones.  Although we are able to keep in touch by email and Facebook, we hug joyfully when we are reunited.
 
My fellow board members and the Dignity Advocate teams that travel to Liberia also feel like family.  I looked up the definition of family. According to Webster’s Dictionary, one of the definitions for family is “a group of people united by certain convictions.” 
 
I think that makes those of you reading this blog part of my extended family as well.  We are not descended from the same individual, but we are united by the same cause: the desire to see an end to obstetric fistula in Liberia.  With your continued help we are taking giant strides toward that goal.  The first step is to build a maternity waiting home.  House of Hope and Dignity and its kitchen will soon be operational.  We can be proud of this family project!
 
To make a first-time or additional gift to Dignity:Liberia, click on this link.  Thank you.

By the time this blog is published, my husband and I will be living in our new home in Brenham, Texas.  We wanted to have some of the rooms painted and some minor modifications made before moving in.  We also took care of some repairs that the home inspector had flagged as needing to be done.
 
It's been challenging.  Brenham is two hours away from Austin which has allowed us to make weekly trips in order to check on progress, but is too far for us to drop in daily.  Most communication has been by phone or text message which has resulted in misunderstood instructions.  Some misunderstandings resulted from the contractor and me using different terminology.  Assumptions were made.  I thought the contractor understood I how I wanted things done while he assumed I understood his intentions.  Sometimes there was poor cell reception or I wasn’t able to reach the contractor at all.  There have been cultural issues as well.  I like to nail down all the details before things get started, while the contractor’s attitude is more laid back.  I wanted things done in a certain order while the contractor wanted to knock out the smaller jobs before tackling the big ones.   
 
Imagine overseeing a construction project across the Atlantic Ocean!  In addition to the issues my husband and I encountered, the time difference between Missouri and Liberia impacts when calls can be made.  Yet that has not stopped the construction of House of Hope and Dignity.  Teams of people in Liberia and the U.S. have worked together on the home's construction.  We’ve now ordered windows and doors for the building and have even selected curtain material! 
 
Soon pregnant women in the Todee Junction area will be able to spend their last few days of their maternity in a safe environment with caring, knowledgeable staff.  This will have a tremendous impact on the reduction of obstetric fistula in rural Liberia! 
 
Dignity:Liberia’s founder and president, Kathi Gutierrez recently said, “the constant continual theme has been our supporters.”  That’s you!  If you feel called to make an additional gift or a first-time donation, please click on this link or scan the QR code.  Thank you for your support.

Russell “Russ” McCahan grew up in the small Quaker town of Haddonfield, NJ which still boasts cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks.  He moved to Colorado to attend college, earning a degree in Finance with a minor in Real Estate from Colorado State University in 1975.
 
His first job after college was as a commercial mortgage lender.  Since then, he has worked in real estate development and become experienced in construction management.  Russ confesses that he is not a detail-oriented person unless it comes to architecture. 
 
He became involved with Dignity:Liberia because it is part of his faith.  He believes in doing what he is called to do and that God puts opportunities in front of us all at different times.  In speaking with Russ, it is obvious that he has a passion for social justice.  I asked what took him to West Africa.  He first went to Jos, Nigeria during the AIDS pandemic, volunteering with the group Faith Alive.  While in Nigeria, he became impressed with the Mennonites.  It seemed to him that many faith-based groups arrived in Nigeria with a pre-existing plan, whereas the Mennonites asked what needed to be accomplished and worked with their Nigerian counterparts in reaching a solution.  He often went to their compound to relax and pray before retiring for the night. 
 
Sometime after he returned to the United States, his church built a modular building on the church lawn, generating lots of interest and funding for a feeding program.  Eventually the building was taken apart and shipped to Liberia.  Russ went to Liberia with the construction crew.  They built the Peanut Butter House for malnourished children near ELWA. 
 
He stayed on the ELWA campus where he met Rusty Laired, then-construction manager of ELWA hospital.  Rusty asked Russ to return as a volunteer construction manager.  While ELWA Hospital benefited from his expertise as a construction manager, Russ learned about construction techniques in Liberia: what materials work in Liberia’s climate, and where to purchase quality items.  He learned passive cooling techniques such as adding roof vents, painting roofs white, and planting bamboo in order to cool buildings without air conditioners. 
 
While in Liberia, he took on other jobs to support himself financially, working for SIM, Samaritan’s Purse, and as a freelancer for a German non-profit, GIZ (pronounced G.I. Zed),  teaching classes on passive solar design.  In Liberia, GIZ put solar panels on all maternity wards.  In addition, they provided personal computers, motorcycles, and training to keep the solar panels running. 
 
Russ remained in Liberia for four years.  While there, he met his wife, Priscilla.  She had attended nursing school and volunteered at ELWA Hospital.  On the day they met, she was helping her sister at her restaurant.  Russ loves children and was impressed with the care she showed her niece and nephew.  After they were married, they moved off the ELWA compound, which gave Russ an opportunity to learn much about Liberian culture.  He and Priscilla now live in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

Dignity:Liberia’s maternity waiting home, House of Hope and Dignity, has been imagined by architect Alvin Wesley Miamen.  Born in Buutuo, Nimba County (which is also where Liberia’s 14-year-long civil war began), he grew up in Clara Town, Monrovia where he attended school.
 
In 7th grade, he was exposed to architecture through a training program at Wilmot Blyden Presbyterian School, Monrovia and continued to seek learning opportunities in that field.  He was mentored by Adolphus McCritty, an architect who has worked in the U.S. and Liberia.

When Dignity:Liberia sought out an architect, Mr. McCritty recommended a "talented student."  That student, Alvin Miamen, met with Dignity:Liberia’s founder and president, Kathi Gutierrez, and asked about our purpose and history.  He believes in giving back and the waiting home project, in his words, “benefits Mama Liberia,” so it fits with what he stands for.
 
Alvin is married to Satta and is the proud father of 3 girls, Hannah, Alvina and Salvina.

Alvin Miamen, House of Hope and Dignity's architect, standing inside the maternity waiting home during its construction.  Alvin is donating his time and professional expertise to Dignity:Liberia.

Many thanks to Alvin for agreeing to share his story with our readers.  He is a busy man, and we appreciate his sitting down with Anne-Marie Mueller for the interview.

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from Dignity:Liberia’s president, Kathi Gutierrez, informing me that a discarded cigarette caused a fire at the site of House of Hope and Dignity, Dignity:Liberia’s maternity waiting home.  It sparked a blaze that scorched much of the grounds.
 
No lives were lost, and the home, as well as the separate kitchen, were not damaged.  However, the entire nursery burned up.  This hit me hard.  When I served with the building team in October, my job was to help Friday gather cuttings from Varney Goyah Town and a couple of sites in Monrovia and plant them in recently dug soil.  Susie and I dug the dirt, filled plastic bags, and added the cuttings following Friday’s direction.  They’ve been watered regularly since then and have grown.  I feel as if a part of me is gone. 
 
As hard as this news is for me, new plantings can easily be collected and restarted.  The plantings, which will be used to keep the building cool and decorate the grounds, will be a bit delayed, but that’s all.

Yes, the nursery was destroyed, but it will thrive.  Not all women who develop a fistula during prolonged labor can have the damage repaired.  More often than not, they end up losing their baby and having hysterectomies.  A part of them is gone.  Their nurseries are empty.  Unlike our plant nursery, they cannot restart their pregnancies.  The goal of our maternity waiting home is to prevent such sad outcomes.

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.