Blog

Ok, so while preparing for the return of some of the field team, Mariel and I have been trying to improve things a little. So now we would like to welcome you to the new and improved Orphan Relief and Rescue field team office. We've relocated the storage room and turned it into an office, so we now have enough desk space for 5 people to work comfortably. All we need now is some of those sweet roller chairs and a coffee maker that runs on 12 volts. Our printer and file cabinet are in much more useable places too. Everything is ready except the most important part of any office -- the surfboard rack!

Hey everyone, welcome to a damp and moldy Liberia, I have never had a t shirt go from brown to green that was not one of those sweet hyper color shirts. Things have been going fairly well over here, it has been challenging trying to learn other people’s jobs but I think we are getting there. I have been an ambulance driver, chicken coup worker, teacher, Jungle Jim, washer and dryer repairman (not where we live).

We all know that September means back to school! In Liberia also, school children are sporting new uniforms, book bags, and copybooks. Although tuition for public school is free, fees, mandatory uniforms and transportation make completing an education difficult for most children in orphanages. Orphan Relief and Rescue has been working hard to ensure that every child in our partner homes is enrolled in school. In some cases this means helping with school supplies, in others, helping with uniforms or shoes.

Parachute games seem to be the pastime of choice lately for the younger kids in the Child Development Program. The kids think that they’re just plain fun, but Auntie Mariel is sneaking in some lessons. We’re learning about what it means to work as a team. It’s easy to see that when we work well together we can accomplish goals. But, when even just one person doesn’t follow the rules, it can spoil the fun for everyone!

And, well, they are just plain fun!

Over the past few years, we’ve seen drastic changes in the healthcare needs of the children that we work with. Where once we were constantly attending to sick children, we now have the opportunity to promote wellness. It’s been several months since we last distributed toothbrushes, so once again it’s tooth time! (And, once again, the biggest challenge is getting the children to not eat the toothpaste!) But we’re learning, and hoping that the next time we see Dr. Keith everyone will get a great report!

One of the things that we try to emphasize with the kids and caretakers is the importance of preventing sickness, not just treating it. This last week, some of the kids learned that the single most important thing that they can do to stay healthy is to wash their hands. To demonstrate where germs like to hide and how we need to wash our hands, we used bright green germs (paint) to practice washing correctly. Everyone had fun and learned good technique, as Evelyn demonstrated for the camera.
 

Sitting in the office in Texas yesterday, I had a surprise visitor -- David from Fairfield Baptist Church in Cypress, TX. On his way to Tennessee to ship off almost a thousand pairs of shoes to Liberia, he stopped to drop off photos of the children at Fairfield Baptist Orphanage putting up their 57 new mosquito nets, courtesy of ORR and Universal Outreach.

Thanks, Fairfield!

As I'm leaving Liberia in just a few hours, I'd like to take a moment to thank you -- YOU! -- for making this past year such a success.

Together we undertook truly ambitious projects and saw not only physical conditions but children's lives transformed. We dug and rehabilitated several wells. We set up orphanage gardens and farms, training caretakers and children how to get the most out of the soil and seeds. We delivered food to those that needed it most. We provided care for -- and training to prevent -- common illnesses that Liberians suffer through needlessly.

Kindergarten graduation is a big deal in Liberia. We're not sure why. Perhaps because so many parents were unable to complete their education, they are all the more eager to see their children succeed. Recently, the field team was invited to several kindergarten graduations, complete with song, dance, pinning ceremonies, caps and gowns, and some pretty cute kids.

Can you believe that over 2,000 children die everyday around the world from mosquito-borne malaria? In Liberia last year, 21,000 children under the age of five died from malaria. However, Liberians just believe that malaria is normal part of life.
We spend alot of time talking with the directors and children about malaria. Malaria education, prevention and treatment are big focus areas at the beginning of rainy season. This rainy season, we want to make sure that there is a treated mosquito net on every bed in every home.