Funeral of Mr. Joseph Gbozee

Winifred J. Harley College of Health Sciences suffered a great loss at the death of Mr. Joseph Gbozee, instructor and administrator, at 58 years old. He had a long career as a professional nurse after graduating from ‘Winifred’ in 1978. During his life, he was a staff nurse, a clinic supervisor, instructor, and worked with the Liberian Nursing and Midwifery Board. He had great influence on those who came in contact with him because of his knowledge, professionalism, caring, and sense of humor. When I first came to Liberia and to the nursing school, he was a great help to me. I had to learn about…everything! – the country, the culture, nursing, and the United Methodist University of which ‘Winifred’ is a part. He died of prostate cancer- something which would have been avoidable in the US with the early detection test. So, men, don’t delay your PSA screening. Others are not so lucky to have the option.

Refugees from the Ivory Coast

 The crisis in the Ivory Coast has brought refugees across the border to Liberia. A camp has been set up about 1 ½ hr away from Ganta. Several of us went to visit while it was being constructed and there were only about 650 people there. Already functioning was a school and health clinic.

Inside a tent

The inside of each tent has two rooms with a small partition. Each is meant to hold 10 people! Now there are about 3,389 people there. The political situation there has settled down a little but the people are waiting to see.


Supplies for the refugees

Chicken Update!

Here is a follow up to the picture of the chicken who made a nest and laid eggs
in my front yard...


Newly hatched chicks peeking out into the world under the protection of 'mom'.



The little cheepers learning to look for food.

Adams Hall is Completed!

The dorm is completed! Praise the Lord! Thanks to all of you who contributed to this project through your prayers, financial support, and more prayers. What a blessing is it to see Adams Hall in its new condition! This 60 year old structure has really been given a new life! When I would visit the site, the contractor and the workers would always comment on the difficulty of renovation verses the ease of new construction. They would start to do the plumbing and realize there was little left they could work with. They would start with the windows, and see that bullets from fighting during the war had damaged the window frame bending it so the windows didn't close properly. Unexpected findings made the work 'interesting' and challenging but they met these with expertise. I am also thankful for Mr. Fred Gbatu and his work team who did such a professional job and put up with all my visits, questions, 'suggestions', and input. They were a joy to work with.

And fortunately, it was completed in time for the 178th Liberian Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church which was hosted by the Gompa District on the Ganta United Methodist Mission Station. The dorm was used by the conference officials.


  Finished exterior:
 


 New bathroom in the matron's quarters:



A few finishing touches being put on the interior:



Remember the picture of the second floor bathroom? This is what the floor looks like now! We still have the wall tile to finish but we wanted to get it ready at least for the annual conference. The tile will be added later.



Looking from the living room through to one room and the matron's quarters. The stairs go up to the second floor. The contractor added a skylight that brightens up the stairwell.
 

Safe Water Is Here

Even though we haven't started the renovations on the second dorm, we did get a small grant from the Rotary Club for a well to serve two dorms and a surrounding community. What a joy for them not to worry about getting safe water. Eventually, when the dorm is renovated, there will be inside plumbing for that facility.

Life In The Yard

One of the chickens in my yard found a 'cozy' place to make her nest. What's interesting is how open the area is. We added the little basin covering so she might have some protection from falling leaves, dust, and occasional rain we get in the dry season. I'll show the results of her labors in a future posting.

"Mr Tire" - Liberian Style

I had a nail in a tire of my car that needed fixing and this was the place to do it!

The 'machine' to take the tirewell off was especially ingenious.

 It cost all of $2.50 to fix and I was on my way to Monrovia.