Updates

So the election race is in full swing, or mud fling!  Like I've said before, elections in Liberia can be tense and volatile both sides are hurling insults at each other risking the fragile peace that Liberia is maintaining.  The latest from Liberia is that current president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has band any election rallies due to the Ebola concern.  Here's an article from the New York Times about the ban.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/world/africa/liberia-bans-election-rallies-to-fight-ebola-.html?_r=0 



The latest on Augustine, his daughter Hope is feeling better.  She is not eating well, but is improving over all.  Augustine is very busy leading up to the Christmas season.  Especially with the elections.  As I mentioned before he is working to ensure a fair and transparent election.  All while maintaining his duties with YFC Liberia.  Please pray for strength and endurance for him over the next few weeks.

I haven't shared our Ebola fundraising video with you guys yet so I'm posting it today.  Please watch, and think about donating.  Have a good week all!


https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2muZ5SYHYrIdFNtMklZNnN2Qms/edit?usp=drive_web

Election Time

Well it's election time again in Liberia.  This is a very unstable time in a country that doesnt trust it's governement.  Despite the deadly Ebola outbreak, Liberia began campaign activities for the Special Senatorial Election.  These elections will mean 15 new members of the senate will be elected in December. The National Elections Commission will hold the elections on December 16, 2014.  There are fewer new cases of Ebola, but health care workers fear that such large gatherings associated with elections could trigger a rise in the epidemic. People still need to take preventative measures. Elections mean there will be a lot of public gatherings with people in close quarters, dancing, sweating, and touching each other.  A risk I think people are willing to take.   Liberians wants to see some changes in their government and those changes will only happen with an election.  Some good news regarding the election is that Augustine (YFC Director in Liberia) has been asked to serve as one of the supervisors for the elections.  We are praying that this will help in keeping the elections fair and transparent.  I will keep posting updates through out the election.

On a personal note, Hope, Augustine's youngest daughter ( 3 years old) is very ill.  She has not been diagnosed with Ebola and it is not believed that is what she has.  In West Africa there are many different disease that are deadly, including typhoid and malaria.  Both of these are treatable but are expensive to treat.  If you are interested in donating to Hope's treatment please contact myself at dontanialiberia@gmail.com.  Most of all we need your prayers, please pray for little Hope.

 This is my husband, Don and Hope

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.

Quarantine.

Liberia and Ebola

In October Don and I we're suppose to take a small team to Liberia. There we were going to continue work on an elementary school and a trade school for war effected youth. As I'm sure most of you know Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria have been suffering through the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Due to this Liberia has closed it's boarders. We are still planning on going to Liberia as soon as the World Health Organization deems it to be safe. 

  Liberia announced Last week that all schools, churches, and public gatherings are cancelled. All non essential government officials have been placed on leave for the next 30 days and all hospitals were closed. The Peace Corp. that has been in Liberia since the end of the civil war has been taken out of the country as well. There has been a emphasis by the Government to raise awareness of the spread of Ebola, through personal hygiene, tending the sick, and handling the dead. 

  It is a scary time for a country that has gone through 2 civil wars and now Ebola.  They need our support and prayers.   YFC Canada is collecting donations for the Liberia staff, including the National Director, Augustine Fredricks. If you are interested in donation to Ebola relief or Our mission you can visit http://yfccanada.org/liberia.pnp

Here's a video sent by the president of Liberia addressing the people. https://m.facebook.com/groups/273647282807784?view=permalink&id=292975344208311

Who we are...

Hi there my name is Tania and this is my first Blog!  My husband and I are volunteers with YFC in the Quinte region of Ontario, Canada.  We having been working with YFC Liberia, West Africa for the past year helping them with fundraising and the construction of an elementary school and trade school for war effected youth.  For those of you that don't know much about Liberia's past here's a video from VICE that can explain it.