The United Methodist Church of Liberia is providing monthly food assistance to help physically challenged and older adults whose needs have increased after the Ebola crisis. At the same time, the church is constructing wells in communities to provide clean water that will prevent health problems.
Almost 300 people come to S. T. Nagbe United Methodist Church on distribution days to receive food, said the Rev. Matthew Jaiah, the church’s pastor.
“This is part of our way of evangelizing in Monrovia,” Jaiah said.
Dubbed the Feeding Program of S.T. Nagbe United Methodist Church and presided over by Evelyn Toe, the program also provides hot meals for the physically challenged, homeless, drug addicts and other individuals who cannot afford regular meals.
The feeding program cost the local church more than $1,500 each month, Toe said.
“We are fulfilling the mission of The United Methodist Church of Liberia and its partners overseas through this exercise,” she said. “We are open to all persons regardless of their faith.”
Children pose by the newly constructed hand pump at the Caldwell Community. Photo by the Human Rights Monitor, United Methodist Church of Liberia.
The United Methodist Church of Liberia has built and dedicated eight water wells throughout the suburb of Monrovia in eight communities that suffered from water contamination due to the Ebola crisis.
“The health of our people is crucial to The United Methodist Church of Liberia,” said Jefferson Knight, human rights monitor for the church in Liberia. Knight also said protecting the people from cholera and diarrhea is a step towards helping them out of poverty.
Since 2008, the “Water for Life Project” has been constructing water wells in different parts of Liberia as part of the United Methodist Church’s Peace with Justice program. The wells were funded by a grant of $19,000 from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ Advance #3020811.
Swen is communicator for United Methodist Church in Liberia.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected].
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