Trip to Kparblee, Nimba County

Hi folks! I am so sorry it's been so long since the blog was updated, but needless to say, I have been very busy as the Interim Country Director!

In the month of March a team came out to Liberia with Patty. The team consisted of our AOH Belgium staff, Cyndi who is on the board of directors, and Dave who is the office manager in the US. Our guests were here for one very eventful week, and we also had a set of adoptive parents with us (who made it successfully home with their two girls!) during some of the activities.

To start the trip we (myself included) drove deep into the bush to visit the village of Kparblee (pronounced "Bah-blee"). This village is where Acres of Hope built a clinic some years ago. Many of our medical related donations have ended up at this clinic.

Additionally AOH started a school and feeding center in Kbarblee. No one else was helping this tiny town, and they were struggling to recover from the war. Thomas, a native of Kparblee, and respected townsman came in contact with Patty and together they worked to help this needy village.

Today the clinic is doing great, as is the school. There is no longer a feeding program, but the village has done a great job of continuing the school and clinic that Acres of Hope started. It was wonderful to be along for this trip and to see some of Acres of Hope's history in the form of these still-running projects.

We started our trip fairly early in the morning and drove and drove and drove. Just when I thought we were about to drive out of Liberia (or off the edge of the earth - whichever came first) we drove two more hours into the bush!

While crossing a bridge near a town we saw all these people bathing and washing clothes.

Here is a thick strip of the infamous Driver Ants. They are like the ant version of a Pirana (no joke).

We didn't make it to the village until after dark. Everyone was thrilled to see us. This man pictured here is welcoming us with songs and trumpeting from his bull horn.

This is it! The clinic looked wonderful and we were thrilled to see how the villagers had come together to maintain and improve the clinic over the years.

This is one of the staff at the clinic (I think he is a physician's assistant).

Some of the donations that have been sent to the clinic by Acres of Hope.

The medical supply room.

The beds were all donated by Acres of Hope.

We actually were only able to spend one night and half a day in the town. We spent half our time walking through the village visiting the school, church, etc. and then the rest of the time in a program held in our honor.

This is Cyndi with some of the children who attend the school.

This massive bridge is on the road right before you enter Kbarblee. It's actually out of order. It fell some years ago and since then cars have not been able to drive across. In dry season you can go a little out of the way and actually drive through the river (when it's shallow) but in rainy season vehicles have to park on the other side of this bridge and cannot enter the town. The community is trying to see if they can get the government's help to rebuild this bridge to promote better trade and economic conditions in the town.

Dave with some of the village people.

The village's cultural dancing team gave us a little show.

Here Thomas is pointing out the location of the first clinic building. It was actually a mud and stick house.

The first clinic building is only ruins now.

A pretty little girl of about 10 baby-sitting her little brother.

This is the school that Acres of Hope started. The leadership is now completly community based. We were amazed to see that the little primary school AOH started had been expanded to this size and a much higher grade level (I think it goes through high school, but it might have just been through junior high.)

Thomas, Chris, and Patty at the little program the school held for us.

There was beautiful singing by all the students.

This is the same man that welcomed us the night before. According to the children, he is "the man who praises people." This is one of the cultural arts that is being forgotten in the cities. This man is trained in many songs, can make up his own songs, knows how to play this horn, and knows it's his job to welcome the visitors. (I am sure he is also involved in many other community affairs).

These women are the cultural welcoming committee. They sang and danced for us as we walked around the village, and then were also a part of the program later that morning.

At about 10:00 the program started. Kbarblee is near the boarder of the Ivory Coast and some people had walked from the Ivory Coast to be a part of this program. The village wanted to honor Acres of Hope for all they had done to help them over the past 5 years. There was more cultural dancing, singing from the students, many, many speeches, the donation of some wheelchairs and baby supplies, and finally the traditional gowning.

The staff from the clinic.

Acres of Hope donated wheelchairs to these two handicapped men.

Ladies from the local Baptist church singing.

Wim getting gowned. It is one of the highest honors in Liberia to be given an item of African clothing. Typically this happens at the end of a program or ceremony. All of us who came on this trip were gowned.

The program was veeerrryyyy long and some of the children just couldn't stay awake.

AOH donated some diapers and other supplies to the mothers who had just given birth in the clinic. Some of the babies from the clinic were less than 24 hours old!

A little girl with her own baby. This is a "country doll" made of a piece of wood (the center part of a particular palm branch) and has synthetic hair (leftover from a woman's hairstyle) stuffed into the top.

And finally, we all gathered around for a picture in front of the clinic.

We are sad we couldn't stay longer in the village, but had a very wonderful and very eventful trip anyway! The ride home was very long and it didn't help that we were not able to leave the village until after 2:00 PM (because of the program). But we all survived and it all made for a wonderful story and great memories!

Stay tuned for more updates! There is a lot to share!

-Melodie (Interim Country Director)

A Village Blessing

Once upon a time, Patty and some of the Acres of Hope staff were trekking through the jungles of Liberia near a village they will be working with for the new Extreme Humanitarian Expeditions (Stay tuned for more info on these!).

They navigated jungle paths...

...teetered across a long monkey bridge...

...and stood under a tree that is hundreds of years old.

They were just about to go visit Monkey Island when a man came running towards them.

"Missy! Missy! You have to come." He beckoned Patty. "You need to see the baby."

"What baby?" Patty asked.

"Well…" the man hesitated, "it's a human baby…But, it's not correct. The baby is not correct."

So Patty and the humanitarian expedition team followed the man into his village. As Patty stepped into the circle of houses a woman came forward carrying a small bundle. Wrapped in several yards of African fabric was a tiny newborn baby girl. The baby had a beautiful complexion and thick, curly hair, but also had a double cleft palate.

"This is my wife and my baby," the man explained. "We think the baby is witched."

By now nearly the entire village had gathered around the white woman holding the unusual baby. People chattered and nodded their heads in agreement as the man explained his fears for his firstborn daughter. Not only was he afraid his daughter had been born with a curse, but the baby was having trouble eating. Patty could see that the child, at only two days old, was already dehydrated.

"What is her name?" Patty asked.

"Blessing." The father replied.

"And she will be a blessing to this village." Then, with the baby girl's family standing by, along with almost the whole village, Patty explained to the village that the little girl had simply been born with a birth defect, and was not witched (cursed) at all. That though she looked different, she was still a beautiful human being created by God to be a blessing to her family and the entire village.

The parents tried to persuade Patty to take the baby. They were still not convinced Blessing was normal and were having trouble feeding her, so it seemed like a good solution to them. But Patty said no. She knew this child had two loving parents, and one correctible medical problem. What the family needed at this point was training in her care until she would be old enough for surgery.

So Patty asked the family if they would like to have special training to care for the baby and they agreed. Blessings mother, along with the mother's sister grabbed a few belongings then joined Patty in the AOH Land Rover to drive back to Monrovia.

Patty admitted the baby at the ELWA hospital. She introduced the mother to the doctor and then helped them get settled in. Patty, who has a lot of experience with special needs babies, was able to train the mother a bit on how to breastfeed the baby. The baby was diagnosed with dehydration but she was now in good hands. The nurses and doctor began teaching the mother how to breastfeed an infant with a double cleft palate.

Patty visited the baby and her mother every day and each time she saw Blessing she picked her up, kissed her, and told her how much she loved her. The baby's mother and aunt would watch in disbelief, along with the other mothers and nurses, wondering why a white woman would see any value in a deformed African baby. "I am her grandmother." Patty said, adding to their wonderment. Patty would again explain, to all who would hear, that the baby was not cursed, but God had created her to be a blessing.

Blessing was hospitalized for four days. Over the course of the four days the baby's mother really began to bond to her little blessing. When baby and mom went home, mom had learned a lot about caring for her special little one. Additionally, after three months little Blessing would be old enough for corrective surgery.

The little family learned a lot from Patty and the hospital. Patty was able to visit the baby fairly often, but nevertheless, after about 2 weeks she received an urgent call. Blessing was not doing well. The family again said they wanted Patty to take the baby.

As Patty drove to the village to check on the baby, she knew the little girl was probably in poor condition and would likely need to be placed in foster care. She called the Laird family, who are SIM missionaries in Liberia, who graciously agreed to foster Blessing, should the need arise.

At the village Patty was shocked to see how much weight the baby had lost. The family had had a long talk with the heads of the village and everyone was agreed that Patty should take the baby. They knew that the child was not doing well in the village. They also knew the little girl would be safe with Patty, since she had shown so much love for the little girl, and placed value on a child they all thought was witched.

At the village Patty was shocked to see how much weight the baby had lost. The family had had a long talk with the heads of the village and everyone was agreed that Patty should take the baby. They knew that the child was not doing well in the village. They also knew the little girl would be safe with Patty, since she had shown so much love for the little girl, and placed value on a child they all thought was witched.

And so Patty brought the baby to the Laird's home where they have lovingly been caring for her. Blessing has gained weight and is thriving with her foster family.

We're still not sure what the future holds for Blessing, but she is safe and well, and has a loving home with the Lairds, for as long as she may need it.

And so, that day a few months ago, as Patty and the humanitarian expedition team were simply surveying a village in preparation for their upcoming expeditions, God lead them to this family who was in great need of help. And through that, a little life was saved, a village learned the value of a little baby with a cleft palate, and Blessing has already become a blessing to many people.

Blessing is currently a foster placement only and so has no specific funds coming in for her care. If you would like to donate towards Blessing's needs (formula, clothing, medicine) please click here and specify "Blessing".

Cultural Fact: In Liberia children with obvious medical problems, like Blessing's double cleft palate, are thought to be "witched" (cursed or possessed by an evil spirit), and are frequently left to die in the bush. Think about it - if you really believed your child would bring horribly bad luck, or was possessed by an evil spirit, getting rid of the child would actually seem like a wise thing to do. If a handicapped child is not thought to be "witched", then the mother would still be overwhelmed with the thought of how she would care for this child who would take lots of extra attention, in addition to her normal duties of washing clothes by hand, farming, selling in the market, cooking, and providing clothing and medical care for her family.

-Melodie (AOH Volunteer)