DID YOU KNOW - Interesting Facts

I've talked about Ebola on the last few posts, to raise awareness and to help raise funds for relief.  Both of those are very important right now, but I thought today I would switch it up and share some fun and interesting facts about Liberia.  Lets start with the "did you know" portion:

1.   Liberia has a Female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.  There are those that support her and many       that don't.

2.   Liberia's number one export is rubber.  Most of the rubber plantations are owned by the               company Firestone.  Rubber runs from the rubber tree just like maple runs from our maple trees.

3.   Liberia has a population of 4.4 million people.  That is a lot of people is a country half the size of Newfoundland!

4.   The median age in Liberia is 17.9 years!  Canada's is 40.6  

5.   YFC Liberia is one of the oldest African chapters of YFC International and was established in Liberia in 1957.  It was the model for all other African chapters.

6.   The school in Liberia, that we (YFC Quinte and YFC Liberia) are currently raising funds and constructing is being built on YFC land.  This land was protected during the war by people who so strongly believed in Youth For Christ that they risked their lives to ensure it did not fall into the hands of any war generals.

If you would like to know anything more about Liberia or YFC please contact us!

NY Times - Family and Ebola

I recently read an article that really explained the devastation of Ebola on family and the importance of burial to the Liberian people.  Touching the body and burring the dead are very important in Liberian culture.  They bring closer to the living and show respect for the dead.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/world/africa/in-ebola-outbreak-in-liberia-a-familys-strength-can-be-its-fatal-flaw.html?_r=0

Ebola and YFC Liberia

I'm sure most of you know already about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.  Ebola is a deadly disease that is spread through contact of bodily fluids of an infected, symptomatic person.  Ebola kills 80% of those infected.  Liberia is one of the hardest hit West African countries.  With Liberia reporting 6619 cases and 2766 deaths as of November 4, 2014. Those numbers are frightening and very disheartening.  The situation in Liberia is far worse then those numbers relate.  Typhoid, malaria, and other tropical diseases share some of the same symptoms of Ebola and are all prevalent in Liberia.  Medical centers are over run and are far under staffed, thus leaving people with these  treatable conditions to suffer and die.  To make matters worse many people are ill and unable to work there for making them unable to provide for their families, leaving many to starve.  The economy has taken are hard hit which increases the cost of living.  In some cases the cost of rice (a staple food) has gone up 150%.  The threat of civil unrest is always present, combined with these unimaginable conditions the situation feels bleak.  Yet, my friends at YFC Liberia are emailing me all the time about Gods greatness.  For every story of horror I hear it seems to be followed by a story of Gods grace or mercy.  Just the other day I received a very upsetting email about a number of children whose parents had died from Ebola and now they were out of the streets.  No orphanages were able to take them in due to financial constraints. It was not even a day later that a someone approached me with the finances needed to support those children and place them in a safe home. It is stories like this that give me hope.  The staff and volunteers at YFC Liberia are working with the Liberian people supporting those in need, children who are orphaned, and providing hope for the hopeless.  Even though our team this year had to post pone our travels to Liberia God has given us an opportunity here to financially and spiritually support our friends and YFC staff there.  We are working to raise awareness for a country that most people did not even know existed 6 months ago.  Please pray for my Liberian friends and spread the word about what is happening in Liberia.