wfn.org | Church playing a role in rebuilding war-ravaged Liberia

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2000-001

Church playing a role in rebuilding war-ravaged Liberia

by James E. Solheim

     (ENS) The only lights burning at night in the streets of 
Liberia's capital city of Monrovia belong to the presidential 
palace and the headquarters of the national police. The city's 
million people, many of them refugees from the countryside who 
fled a brutal civil war, huddle around candles on the sidewalks. 
A few private generators supply light to homes, many of them 
owned by government officials or business leaders.

     "This nation needs healing," Bishop Edward Neufvlle told a 
visiting team from the Episcopal Church in the USA. "The country 
is at a virtual standstill," he said. Liberia faces the daunting 
challenge of making peace with those who have brought the West 
African nation to its knees, authors of a senseless violence who 
show no signs of regret or repentance, according to the bishop. 
He expresses gratitude for the "timely" visit of the Americans as 
he lays out plans to show them how the church has suffered with 
the rest of the nation and is seeking to rebuild. "You started 
this church and we are confident that you will stand beside us as 
we usher in a new century."

     An apprehensive calm has settled over much of the nation as 
it emerges from a decade of violence that affected nearly all of 
its three million citizens. An estimated 150,000 died as armed 
factions battled each other for control and terrorized the 
population until a fragile truce was shaped in 1997 and refugees 
began to return from neighboring countries. "Liberia is a 
post-war country, but not a post-conflict country," observed an 
international aid worker.

     The ties between Liberia and the United States run deep 
since it was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society 
to create a homeland for freed American slaves. 
Americo-Liberians, who modeled their 1847 constitution on the 
U.S. system, ran the country until a 1980 coup, setting off 
decades of violent struggle.

     The involvement of the Episcopal Church began about the time 
the nation was established. The first American missionaries were 
sent in 1836 and the first bishop chosen in 1851. "We have a lot 
of missionaries buried in Liberia," said the Rev. Ricardo Potter, 
associate director of Anglican and Global Relations (AGR) for the 

Episcopal Church, a member of the visitation team. He has visited 
the country three times in the last two years and is encouraged 
by the changes he has seen.

     Potter points to what he called a "change in attitude," a 
whiff of hope in the air. "People are no longer waiting for the 
government to rescue them. They are finding their own ways of 
rebuilding," he said. 

     He was part of a meeting of the Joint Covenant Committee 
last April, the first meeting of the full committee in Liberia in 
nine years and was able to visit the whole diocese. As a result, 
the committee concluded that it is time for the Episcopal Church 
to help the Liberian church in its efforts to rebuild, 
concentrating on reopening the church schools.

A tradition of education

     The Episcopal Church of Liberia has made a major 
contribution in the last century in the field of education, 
operating a system of elementary and secondary schools, as well 
as Cuttington University College, the only private university in 
West Africa. While the war damage is heavy, the buildings are 
structurally sound and could be easily rescued--with help.

     After visiting a number of the schools, the visitation team 
concluded that education is an area where "our involvement could 
make an enormous difference--to the church and to the nation," 
said the church's treasurer, Stephen Duggan, a member of the 
team. "Look at the impact the church's schools have already had 
in the life of this nation. It is important that we assist in 
revitalizing the school system."

     Addressing the risks of involvement in a country that is 
still politically unstable, Duggan said it represents too 
important an opportunity to "demonstrate our faith by stepping 
into a situation where we can help people realize their full 
humanity. And it is the right thing to do." Duggan is convinced 
of the possibility--and the necessity--of offering to help. "Our 
church has been there a long time," he emphasized. "It is like 
going back to family and discovering that they are in trouble and 
need some help."

     Even though the "physical and psychological damage runs 
deep," Potter said, "we have the capacity to respond to the needs 
of a church that we planted." Liberians are confused and angry 
that the Americans are not helping them and Potter also hopes 
that the traditionally close ties can be reestablished, both with 
the nation and the church.

     A recent survey by the diocese has estimated that it would 
need at least $3 million to repair the school buildings. 
Cuttington has estimated it needs about $5 million.

Brave and determined people
     Wherever they went, members of the team met people who had 
endured and now expressed a determination to put their lives back 
together.

     At the end of rough trips into the bush, on roads that can't 
be used during the rainy season, they were introduced to teachers 
who had gathered hundreds of students in the shells of buildings, 
feeding their minds and their bodies under very difficult 
conditions. "People have refused to give up--or to give in," said 
Margaret Larom, mission interpretation officer for the Episcopal 
Church. "We have an inspiring opportunity to make an impact--
again."

     The team got a glimpse of what was possible when they 
visited the site of Boys Town, a church facility that is being 
rebuilt with help from the American Refugee Committee. It is 
attempting to rescue orphans and street teens who have been 
traumatized by the war, many of them used as pawns of the 
military factions. "These are kids who killed people," said Shaun 
Skelton of the ARC. "Their families can't or won't take them in 
and they are ostracized by the community." With a radical change 
in environment, and some vocational training, he thinks the 
future may brighten for them.

     At Bromley Mission, displaced children from the neighborhood 
gathered in a chapel at Julia Emery Hall, one of the few spaces 
on the campus that is functional. Yet the principal expressed 
optimism that it may be possible to open the boarding school next 
fall.

     Cuttington University College, forced to close in 1990 when 
it had almost 900 students, is slowly coming to life again. A 
grant from the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief helped 
Cuttington assess its needs after the civil war. "It is more 
difficult now, 50 years later, to rebuild because of these 
setbacks," President Melvin Mason told his visitors. "But after 
seven years of war, we are able to reassess and expand our 
programs. And we are able to pay more attention to the needs of 
the community." The team visited a small village near the campus 
where Cuttington has sponsored empowerment programs for women.

     Mason admits that the obstacles are serious. It won't be 
possible to expand enrollments until there is some major 
improvement to facilities. Housing for faculty and staff is a 
major problem. Although there is no electricity or running water, 
a generator given to the school by Liberian President Charles 
Taylor provides a few hours of light to parts of the campus each 
day. Yet Mason said they are determined to admit another class 
next fall while maintaining standards in keeping with other 
Anglican colleges and universities.

     With 1,500 acres, Cuttington was almost self-sufficient 
before the war, raising chickens and pigs and vegetables. The 
United Nations is helping to rebuild the school's capacity to 
feed itself And a grant from American Schools and Hospitals 
Abroad may make it possible to rebuild the generators by the time 
the new class arrives next fall.

     During the war, many of Cuttington's staff remained on 
campus to care for 7,000 refugees jammed into dormitory 
facilities, writing a proud new chapter in its history.

Ministry in context

     While church officials are proud of their contribution in 
the field of education, they caution that it must be seen in a 
broader context. "Rebuilding must also include medical clinics so 
we can minister to the whole person," stressed Neufville. "While 
education is important, it should be seen in the context of the 
church's total ministry of outreach," added Gyude Bryant, a 
Monrovia businessman who chairs the diocesan board of trustees. 
"We don't have the resources to rebuild, to get the clergy back 
into the parishes."

     Church leaders expressed deep concern for leaderless 
parishes, with no facilities for resident clergy. As a result, 
membership in many churches has been cut in half. The situation 
may improve as refugees who fled the country begin to return. Yet 
unemployment is also a factor. "Nobody is working so it is hard 
to rebuild the church," one person said. "We need zinc," added 
another, stressing that replacing the roofs of churches and homes 
that disappeared during the war would be a sign of hope.

     "The question for us is how do we find a way to mobilize the 
resources of our church to strengthen this church," said Duggan. 
"It is not an overwhelming task."

     Sandra Swan, executive director of the Presiding Bishop's 
Fund for World Relief, shares the excitement of her colleagues on 
the team. "And I'm convinced that members of our church will also 
share our enthusiasm for the rich possibilities for helping the 
church in Liberia rebuild," she said. She reported that the fund 
is already looking at ways it can cooperate with other agencies, 
church-related and secular, in those efforts.

     "Since the children of Liberia have essentially been without 
education for almost 10 years, the situation has a sense of 
urgency," she added. "Every day is one more day lost in their 
education."

     --James Solheim is director of the church's Office of News 
and Information and covered the Liberia visit for ENS.