Nimba County Adventures

The first week of September I traveled to Nimba County to see the work that SP has been doing with WASH (water and sanitation) and also with the host communities who have taken in refugees from the Ivory Coast situation.

Rainy season roads are not easy-o.  This particular day was no different.  The recent rains made the roads muddy and slimy.  It is the equivelant of driving on ice covered roads in Iowa!  Our first encounter at 7 AM was a truck that had jack knifed itself across the entire road, leaving only 8 feet on the side for other trucks and vehicles to pass. What resulted was many, many stuck vehicles in the rut that continued to deepen on the side of the road.  Here is Justin observing our stuck land cruiser.  It took us about an hour and a half before we were able to make it through!

This is the water source from one of the communities we are working in along the Ivory Coast border.  It is an unprotected spring with stagnant, dirty water.

This is their water now after we dug a hand dug well and installed a hand pump!

These kids couldn't get enough of the camera!

Clean water.  Something we take for granted in the western world. Just a simple tap to turn on and there it is.  For this little girl, she has been sick most of her life from diarrhea because of her lack of clean water access.  Not anymore!  SP is able to service her entire community with this new hand dug well!

Besides muddy/slippery roads, we also encountered a massive tree that had fallen during the storm the night before, blocking the road to our last community to visit that day.  We encountered this tree after driving through 4-5 feet of water- over the hood of our land cruiser!  We were not going to turn around without delivering clothes for the refugees, so we parked the car, and carried the clothes by foot until we reached the village. I love taking pictures, but sometimes its more important to give the extra hand in accomplishing the job.

Justin and his new little friend.

Clothes and non-food items for the refugees!  These clothes were all donated by Liberian churches in the area.  The members of these churches were once refugees in Ivory Coast merely ten years ago.  Now with the opportunity to return the favor, they are helping meet the physical and spiritual needs of these hurting refugees with Samaritan's Purse's assistance.