Hunger Pillar Mission

Last week Matt and I had the opportunity to travel eight hours down the coast to Greenville, Sinoe. Our purpose was to check out the project that our friends from Hunger Pillar Mission had started. We attempted the trip before, but our flight was cancelled due to lightning. This time, we decided to go by land and carry with us three pigs for the project.

The Hunger Pillar Mission is a 100-acre parcel of land located just outside Greenville. They are currently running a church, orphanage for six young men, an elementary and junior high school, and an agriculture project. Our host, Pastor Wleh, explained that with the discovery of gold and diamonds in this part of Liberia, as well as rich forests, most people had given up farming in favor of lucrative, but potentially risky, endeavors. As a result, one of the most fertile places in Liberia transports its food from Monrovia, eight hours away, and prices are the same or even higher than what you would find in the city. 

One of the goals of the mission is to encourage people to return to living off the land. They’ve planted rice, cassava, corn, and pineapple, and they are able to harvest wild palm nuts, sugar cane, plantain and bananas. After this season, the hope is to stop purchasing rice, but to only eat what they can grow.