construction
Security fence at Frances Gaskin
In North America, everyday security means locking your car, flipping the deadbolt on the front door, and perhaps setting an alarm. Where I grew up, no one even locked their doors.
But in Liberia, everyone that can afford one has a security fence around their property--a plain, unpainted concrete block wall, with barbed wire if one can afford it.
The next big thing
With the summer now behind us and our team back in Liberia, many folks are asking us, "So what's next?" The answer is there's a lot of work to do!
We have a list of projects that we would like to see accomplished in the coming year--everything from wells to bunk beds, academic scholarships to a brand new school. The photo above is an artist's rendering of the new school (lower floors) and boys' dormitory (upper) at Frances Gaskin Children's Refuge.
Grand Opening Celebration
Wednesday we celebrated the realization of a longtime dream of ours, as 37 kids jumped out of buses and went crazy checking out their new home. After two years of construction, Danny Feeney Memorial Orphanage is now complete, with brand new furniture, a freshly drilled well, and a teddy bear waiting on each bunk.
Danny Feeney Update
For the past week, a team representing HeartCry has been in Liberia putting the finishing touches on Danny Feeney Memorial Orphanage Home. Latrines are being plastered, walls are being painted, trenches are being dug, household items are being purchased, and invitations are being hand-delivered in anticipation of the grand opening ceremony, to be held on June 23. We are so excited to see the home complete and cannot wait to move the children in next month!
Danny Feeney construction update
New orphanage construction update
Orphan Relief and Rescue is building a brand new orphanage that will house 37 children in a safe environment. This is our biggest project yet and we are hoping to have the building completed and the kids from Gold Child moved in before rainy season starts this summer. Here is Matt Le Page with the latest news from the construction site.
New Vehicles!
We have had alot of excitement around the team house over the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, we became the proud owners of a new 1.5 ton flatbed Jac truck! We did not waste any time and the truck was immediately put to work. Every day, Matt and his construction crew have used the truck for transportation and to haul construction supplies up to Cotton Tree to the Gold Child Orphanage worksite. It really is a blessing, because otherwise we would not be able to continue the roof construction on the new home.
We're on our way
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.
Finished
Well, today is a good day.
Three and a half weeks after starting our craziest rainy season project to date (re-roofing an entire orphanage), I'm glad to say it's finished! We hit this project hard and fast. We set out early every morning and Moses learned a lesson while bouncing around in the back of the pick-up we rented: if your breakfast is rice and cassava, you should finish it before you get in the truck or else most of it ends up on the windscreen of the car behind you!
Update on Mother Harley's
Courtesy of our visiting media specialists, Michael Kraus and Will Traynor, here is a quick look at Mother Harley's. As of today, shiny new metal roof covers almost half the building and the second half will go even quicker. Thank you for your prayers--the weather's been perfect, everything's gone very smoothly. More soon.
Construction Update At Mother Harley's from Michael Kraus on Vimeo.
