African Links

1. St. Anthony Parish - Barrake - Diocese of Cape Palmas.

Pastoral - The Parish continues to develop. Average attendance at Sunday Mass averages 140 parishioners. The number of Baptisms will reach 50 before the end of 2008. The number of Sunday recipients of the Eucharist has increased from 18 to 35. Approximately 35 youngsters are preparing for First Communion at Christmas and 18 adults for Baptism at Easter.

Outstations - Libsuco and Watchaken - These parishes continue to grow. The parishioners have constructed mud walled churches. We have applied to a German funding agency for money to plaster the walls and floors and to install wooden doors and windows. The roads to these towns have deteriorated so that is not possible to use the pickup truck to reach them. Fr. Joseph C. Marwa, SMA visits one of them each Sunday on his Yamaha motorbike.

Financial Support - The Sunday collection averages about Liberian $600 (US $10). In addition, the people give ample supplies of bananas, plantain, palm nuts cassava and other farm produce. We consume these gifts during the week. They help to lower our food budget.

The Farm - Approximately 50 Banana, plantain, and papaya trees continue to bear fruit. The 100 palm nut trees are now about five feet tall and should begin to bear fruit in two years. If we were pushed we could sell bananas at the local outdoor market. However, in practice we give them to the school children when they come to visit during the school recess. Most children go to school without any breakfast.
We planted about 600 rubber trees this year. We could have planted 8,000 if high yielding small trees were available. It takes two years for a nursery to produce high yielding bud grafted trees for transplanting. We are negotiating with a local commercial farm for trees to be planted in 2009.
We have about ten ducks and 10 chickens which we raise for food. Rabbits will be reintroduced in December 2008. The program was suspended because of the lack of interest of the Barraken people in raising rabbits.

2. Education and Scholarships.
Schools in Liberia continue to improve. The number of students in government schools has increased from 590,000 in 2006 to over 1,000,000 in 2008. Schools are overcrowded. In one local high school the number of students in each classroom ranges from 50 to 80 students. The Liberian government has re-opened two teacher training colleges and initiated month long in service training among veteran teachers. The US government provides major funding of both of these programs.
The Liberian government has eliminated tuition in elementary schools and reduced the tuition charged by high schools. However, overcrowded classrooms and the lack of sufficiently qualified teachers have made it difficult for the government to provide high quality education in its schools. Schools under the management of private and religious agencies charge tuition. Parents prefer these schools because they are generally well staffed and well managed.
At the present time through the financial assistance of SMA, family and friends I have been able to assist over 275 students with full tuition scholarships. This costs approximately $21,000 a year. A detailed report of the scholarship program is attached to this report.
In addition, I am assisting ten students at the university level at a cost of approximately $5,000.

3. Food and Housing Assistance

Food - The cost of food in Liberia has increased by more than 50% in 2008. Rice, the basic daily food for most Liberians has increased from $0.50 to $1.00 a kilogram. The vast majority of Liberians struggle every single day to just put a little food on the table. I went to Liberia in 1959 and for the first ten years I was there I never had anyone come and ask me for food. Now it is a daily occurrence. Some students walk 11 miles to look for work on the parish farm so they can earn money to buy food. Sometimes there is work for them but there are always many more looking for work than there are available jobs. Even a gift of five kilos of rice is greatly appreciated. But it is impossible to help all who ask.
Every two or three months I try to assist a few families with rice and other foods. Most recipients are widows with small children. In January 2008 a 50kg bag of rice, 3 kilos of sugar, a gallon of cooking oil, a case of tomato paste, a bag of salt, a box or 100 tea bags, and three packs of bullion cubes cost $US50.00. In October 2008 the same goods cost $85.00. I do not give food on a regular basis for two reasons. First, I do not have sufficient funds to do so. Second, I don't want people to become dependant on me.
Providing food and housing assistance for students and families costs about $600 a month.

Housing - The high cost of building materials combined with an 85% unemployment rate has stymied families from building new homes. Most families live in houses constructed before the civil war or in newly built mud walled houses. Most senior high school students live in rented rooms. This is because they are from out of town or have to move out of family homes to make way for younger siblings. The average monthly cost of a room is US$5.00. Students pay for their room by taking day jobs which range from cutting grass to tutoring small children. Nearly every week students from Cape Palmas come to Barrake seeking rent money. They are willing to work for the money if work is
Available. Most of those who seek assistance come only once or twice a year. The cost of housing assistance averages US$200 a month.

4. Vehicles
We have a Toyota Hilux pickup truck and two motorcycles. The new Toyota pickup is a big disappointment. Toyota redesigned the 2008 Hilux. I have not met a single owner of the newer model who is satisfied with it. The head of the UN fleet of trucks in Cape Palmas has refused to accept any of the new model Hilux. Our truck has cost $4,500 in repairs in less than a year. More than half of the amount resulted from taking the truck from Monrovia to Barrake June 2008. The road was in very poor shape and the Hilux was not up to the task. The previous model made several trips over worse roads. The chief mechanic for the United Nations fleet advised me not to take the truck to Monrovia again until the roads are repaired. I intend to follow his advice.
The two motorcycles are working well. They are well maintained. The cost of this is about $1,800 a year.
In October a gallon of diesel cost US$7.00 and gasoline $6.50. I presume that the prices in Liberia will decrease now that the price of crude oil has dropped.

5. Conclusion
The first phase of the development of St. Anthony Parish and of the SMA plan for Barraken has been completed.
The parish is on a path of solid growth. The parishioners, especially the parish council are very active. They maintain the church as well as the grass and shrubs surrounding the church.
The deteriorating roads to the outstations make it very difficult to reach them. The pickup truck cannot go to the outstations and when it rains heavily even with the Yamaha motorbike cannot go to them.
Unfortunately, the development of the rubber farm has not made much progress. The principal reason for this is that we cannot obtain good bud grafted trees. One can plant only during the rainy season but the roads are blocked during the rainy season. Since June 2008 it has been impossible to reach areas where trees are available. Cavalla Rubber Company gave us 600 trees. We could have planted 8,000 if we had them. We hope to get some more trees through CRC during 2009 but we are at their mercy.
In my estimation it will take two more years before the next phase of development can take place. While the Government of Liberia is making real progress very few of the initiatives have reached Barraken and Cape Palmas. This area is the most isolated one in Liberia. It does not receive much attention from the Liberian Government, the United Nations or international development agencies.
Bishop Dalieh has resigned. He will reach the mandatory retirement age of 75 in December 2008. Fr. Melvin Nyanti Gaye has been appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cape Palmas. He will lead the diocese until a new bishop is appointed. Most likely this will be at least three years. It will take time for him to meet with the priests, sisters and the faithful of the diocese before a new coordinated pastoral plan will be initiated.
The SMA presence in the Diocese of Cape Palmas is deeply appreciated. For more than 60 years SMA has been involved in the evangelization and development of the diocese. The bishop, priests, religious and laity know this. They realize that SMA does not have the personnel to make a major contribution but they hope that the financial and logistical assistance which SMA has provided since 1948 will continue

Fr. Ted Hayden, SMA - November 20, 2008.