Yarsonnoh Town is located in Northern Nimba County, 172 miles away from Liberia's Capital City, Monrovia. Prior to the Liberian Civil War, the town was a home to over 5000 plus residents. Barely three months, March 14, 1990, into Liberia's fifteen years Civil war, the town was completely burnt down as a result of two weeks of intense battle between the rebel fighters and government soldiers. Most of the residents got killed while others took refuge into the bushes. Now that Liberia has an elected government and peace is on the horizon, the citizens are returning and trying to rebuild their lives.
Seeing the plights of the people, the United Sates Embassy in Liberia help built two pit-latrines and two hand dug wells for the returnees. Just about the same time, the Habitat for Humanity- Liberia Charter came in with the promise to help with the reconstruction of residential buildings, but built three bed rooms homes and said it was out of funds to continue project.
As it seems to be the reality with every violence situations, the children and women are usually the prime victims. The lack of adequate educational facility for the three hundred and fifty school age children of the Yarsonnoh Town is one of the pressing needs. At the moment, two hundred and eighteen of the children are clustered in a very small United Methodist Church building while over seventy-eight of the pre-school and kindergarten students hold classes under a tent. Over the last four years, three friends of mine who hailed from Yarsonnoh Town and myself have been trying to construction an eight class room building that would accommodate a good number of those children. Due to financial constrain we haven't done much, but thank God that we were able to at least put a roof on the building this August 2007.
There are still a lot to be done and we are soliciting help from all whose hearts would be moved by Christ-like love and compassion to remodel and shape the lives of these little ones for Christ and the future of their society.
Pastor Jakes Voker's 2006 visit to Yarsonnoh Town, located in Northern Nimba County Liberia
During the Month of June, Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church, raised $4,000 to ship a container of much needed hospital supplies to Ganta United Methodist Hospital in Liberia.
After 14 years of Civil War, the hospital was looted in 2003. All but obliterated, the hospital reopened in March of 2004 with extremely marginal supplies and staff. Several Madison Churches have joined with Sherman Avenue United Methodist to begin the rebuilding process of the hospital to bring it up to 21st Century Standards.
Jakes Voker, pastor of Sherman Avenue United Methodist recently visited the hospital and has, for the past two years, led the project here in Madison to restore vital services through donations of supplies and equipment. Asbury United Methodist Church donated a truck and Sherman Ave United Methodist Church has had an ongoing mission to provide surgical gloves and supplies.
Pediatrics and Obstetrics are areas of vital services along with the basic surgical unit, providing in-patient and emergency care. After the ravages of war, the hospital had to resort to primitives means, in order to keep their much needed surgical united operational. The hospital's main autoclave was destroyed in the looting and surgical instruments have to be sterilized in pots over charcoal burners. An ever present concern is infection and disease prevention in the surgical unit, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Anyone wishing to join in this ongoing outreach project program may contact Jakes Voker at 244-0868 of visit the church web page at www.saumcwi.org. There are additional pictures available as well.
Pastor Jakes Voker's visit to Ganta United Methodist Hospital