wfn.org | Relief agency helps city cope with sanitation problems

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Nov. 19, 2003  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.
ALL-AF-RM-I{CUL003}

NOTE: This story is part of a weeklong Close Up series on how the United
Methodist Church is helping Liberia recover from war. Photographs, video
reports and other features are available.

By Joni Goheen*

MONROVIA, Liberia (UMNS) - Upon arriving at work, the first thing Kerry Sly
noticed after stepping out of his Toyota pickup truck was the foul aroma of
human waste, the kind of smell one experiences when passing an overflowing
portable toilet that has fermented in the sun for days. 

It wasn't a pleasant odor, and the task at hand was equally nasty. But thanks
to Sly and his crew, by the end of the day, the public latrine serving
hundreds in a neighborhood outside Liberia's capital was tolerable. 

Personal hygiene and sanitation topics are delicate issues to tackle, made
even more so in the undignified atmosphere of the aftermath of war. There is
little privacy, and running water, electricity and sewage disposal are
largely unavailable.

Sly is the outspoken and passionate head of mission work in Liberia for the
United Methodist Committee on Relief.  Raised in rural South Dakota, Sly has
been involved with African issues for years and has been working with the
relief agency in Liberia for more than two years. 

"When I came to Africa in 1985, I came straight out of South Dakota
University looking for something to do that involved agriculture," he said.
"I joined the United States Peace Corps and went to Burkina Faso to work as
an agricultural manager, and the bug bit me. I saw there were great needs in
Africa, and I knew my skills and abilities could be used somewhere besides in
an office in downtown New York or Minneapolis."

Under Sly's direction, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is involved
in agriculture, health, rehabilitation, small clinics and education. For the
moment, it is assisting other agencies with sanitation issues. 

"The whole infrastructure of Monrovia collapsed years ago, due to lack of
maintenance, funding," Sly said. "With the lack of a functioning sewer
system, this UMCOR truck is one of the most vital links you have to keeping
the environment and communities healthy and safe.

"There were supposed to be four or five (trucks), but to date, UMCOR has the
only functional liquid-waste-management truck. Others have been promised, but
there have been many delays."

The cleanup crew has worked with the relief agency for three years and "is
proud to help the communities in this way," Sly said. "The communities quite
often don't understand the importance of hygiene and taking care of these
toilets. These guys know very well.  They have also educated their home
communities about the need for safe and hygienic environment."

Teaching sanitary practices is effective in controlled situations such as
displacement camps, but few facilities are available for people living on the
streets. It is not uncommon to see men relieving themselves along the
roadside. Behavior like this is a result of war and other circumstances, and
Liberians say they are embarrassed by it.

"I think the people of Liberia are by nature good people," Sly said. "I've
talked to older Europeans and Americans who have refused to leave Liberia.
They said that if you could have seen the Liberia of the 1980s, you would be
amazed and confused at how it could have degenerated into this situation."  

With only one operating sanitation truck, the agency faces more needs than
can possibly be addressed. Simply obtaining fuel can be a challenge. Is fuel
available for purchase? Is there enough money to purchase more? A gallon of
gas was selling for $3 recently, down considerably from $30 in August.

When Sly came to Liberia more than two years ago, the relief agency owned the
truck he is using today, but it fell into disrepair. With no money to fix it,
the truck was sold and is now leased back at the rate of $4,000 per month. A
great deal more funding is required to keep things going. 
 
However, Sly and his crew are making a difference in the quality of life, one
neighborhood at a time. 

Climbing back into his truck after one such stop, Sly commented on his
mission. "After 18 years in Africa, I love Africa," he said. "... I want to
be part of something good, and I want to help Africa at the same time."
# # #
*Goheen is a freelance writer living in Morrison, Colo. 

Tomorrow:  The church begins rebuilding the educational system.

 
 

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org