Just found out that China Central Television is aware of West Africa Crossroads and the Saclepea Community Computer Center.  Which, I think, is a very GOOD thing. Check out their video at

http://www.ittybittyurl.com/d6v

AND, as if that weren’t enough, the SCCC / Engineers Without Borders - Ga Tech / WACC 2012 Saclepea Economic Empowerment Competition is underway.  Check out the Saclepea Community Computer Center facebook site to get the latest.

Oh, and one last thing.  Plans are underway to build a new facility for the center.  Stay tuned.

Riddle: What has two doors, two seats, and prevents the spread of cholera and dysentery?

Well, we’re finally building it in Saclepea! This joint project between The Rotary Foundation, West Africa Crossroads, and Equip Liberia is well underway.  By December 2011, the latrine and three wells will have been turned over to the people of Saclepea. They chose the sites and will maintain the facilities.  Praise God. 

And the Saclepea Community Computer Center has moved to temporary quarters in the center of the city.  The new site is in a very high traffic area and usage is up dramatically!  The downside? DUST, DUST, and more DUST.

4 acres of them.  Until work begins on construction of our school in Saclepea, WACC has given the Saclepea Women’s Center authorization to use our land (8 acres) for agricultural purposes to benefit the people of Saclepea.  The land has been cleared and 4 acres of beans planted.  Thanks to the plentiful rain and sunshine, they’ll be eating well by the middle of June. 

“The bullets stop, but the suffering continues.”
MISSION CREEP IN LIBERIA.
Your contributions helped us ship hundreds of crutches, walkers, braces and splints and orthopedic devices to Saclepea this year.  I thought that would be the end of it, but the Liberians see it as the beginning.  I’m now an honorary member of HADAL, the Handicap Association for Development and Advocacy in Liberia.  Thought you might want to see some of the members from among the 17,000 people in the Saclepea District. As a father and grandfather, some of the entries are chilling.  Turns out polio is alive and well in Africa.  And war is still very real, even though fighting stopped five years ago. Bullet wounds, lost limbs, psychological trauma.
Pope John Paul II said, “A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members.” If I can take that one step further, I’d say all of mankind will be judged by how it treats its weakest members.
Bottom line: we’re signing up to reach out to the poorest of the poor in Liberia. We are doing our best to make sure no one is left behind.

Here are a few of the entries:

Male age 21 polio

Female age 60 blindness

Male age 34 crippled by witchcraft

Male age 41 psychological disorder

Female age 19 polio

Male age 45 bullet wound psychological disorder

Male age 35 bullet wound

Female age 40 rocket wound

Male age 27 deaf and dumb

Female age 29 amputation of both legs

Male age 41 left foot amputated

Male age 73 blindness

Male age 41 bullet wound

Female age 13 polio

Male age 29 polio

Male age 24 polio

Female age 24 polio

Male age 33 hunchback

Male age 57 hit by gun

Female age 40 stroke

Female age 31 polio

Female age 20 blindness

Female age 28 amputation of two fingers

Male age 20 foot amputation

Female age 18 polio both legs

Female age 2 right foot amputation

Female age 27 polio both legs

Male age 42 right hand amputation

Hang in there. Things are getting better. God is sending help.

African Investigative Journalist Locates WACC!

Our good friend Pastor Dennis Monmia promotes WACC (or at least ACC) with the press in Liberia!

http://www.inprofiledaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3097:africa-cross-road-on-community-empowerment-in-nimba&catid=1:headlines&Itemid=56

Still lots of work to do, but making progress on faster internet. Here are a few recent emails from Liberia.

_______________________________________________________

From: Paul Whesseh

To: Steve Skinner

Cc: Honorable Representative Evans Koah; Peter Wonokay

Sent: Mon, February 7, 2011 11:25:20 AM

Subject: Re: Greetings from Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Dear Steve,

We finally discussed the issue of the VSAT. We will loan it to WACC, Saclepea for a period of one year without compensation. The status will be reviewed after the one year period. Mr Wonokay has been asked to meet Rev. Monmia for the MOU. I hope they can start on it today cause we concluded over the week end.

God Bless.

Paul T. Whesseh, BSc, MD

____________________________________________________

From: Hilton Bleetan <hiltonbleetan@yahoo.com>

To: Seve Skinner <steveskinner99@yahoo.com>

Cc: sandyskinner@yahoo.com

Sent: Mon, February 7, 2011 11:23:37 AM

Subject: I write to congratulate you and your organization (WACC)

I am exceedingly to extend my heart-felt thanks and appreciations to WACC for bring relief to our people through your many humanitarian assistance, most especially the computer Cafe established

Your dreams will come to light by the grace of God. The program is going on fine. The community is excited and has expressed her support for the program. Computer and Internet Classes are going on well.

The result of our few days operation here is encouraging remarkable. I want to again say a very big thank you to WACC’s officials for remembering us.

May God continues to richly bless you all for being kind and helpful to Liberia, especially Saclepea, Nimba County.

Respectfully yours,

Mentor Hilton Bleetan

______________________________________________________

From: Saclepea community Computer center

To: Steve Skinner

Sent: Fri, February 4, 2011 12:57:49 PM

Subject: Re: How is it going?

Dear Steve,

We are happy to hear from you.

Classes are going very well. All our students (both young and old) are excited about learning in the computer lab with modern equipments. Since we closed registration for the first phase, would- be students are asking about second phase registration which takes place next week Saturday.

Within a week, we will have a good sum of earned revenue in the center’s account.

We praise God for the West Africa Crossroads Cop. Family for this great development program in Saclepea, Nimba County, Liberia, West Africa.

That’s a GREAT news! Thank you, Sir!

We have computers!!  (Now what?)

We were VERY disappointed that CellCom promised us internet access and then failed to deliver.  But we are NOT giving up.  In lieu of the internet, and until we can get it, we are sending over ‘the next best thing.’  Remember how we used to haul out the encyclopedias when we wanted to learn something?  Well, those books are alive and well (or will be soon) in Saclepea.  Our computer center / library will now have the best reference sources in the world.  It was surprisingly difficult to locate digital reference material on DVDs, but Frys Electronics had it.  We got the LAST COPY in North Georgia of the World Book (and they will no longer carry it).  Doesn’t sell in the USA, but it is perfect for third world areas with no or slow internet. All these materials will be on Delta Flight 134 this afternoon.

So if you were wondering what we use your contributions for, here is another example. Bringing light to the darkness. Thank you.

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”, Liberia-style.  by Michael Bolo of Saclepea

This is ‘Jerusalem’ [3e].  All these audio segments are stored in pretty low quality to allow them to be sent over low speed internet connections.  If anybody wants the high def quadrophonic 5.1 Dolby Surround version, let me know and I will send it to you.

This was the scene at the United Liberia Inland Church of Saclepea youth choir practice led by Asst. Director Amenjor Senegah. By Yah Yenta Crusa [3b].  If you think Mark Green and Rick Bazemore are energetic, catch a load of Mr. Senegah. The style of directing seems to omit the normal ‘4 beats in a measure’ rule, but the group is amazingly tight in their harmonies and timing. There was not a pitch pipe, piano, keyboard, or other instrument in the town.  They find their notes from the conductor, who tunes them up before each song (and sometimes in the middle of it!).