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| United Methodists help provide electricity in Liberia - 7/1/2009 |
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An American-based group, Power from the Son Incorporated has built an electricity facility for the Ganta UM Hospital which serves Nimba County, Liberia.
The electricity project is intended to respond to acute electricity shortage, which has been scarce and intermittent since the hospital’s main electrical facilities were destroyed by the war. The project was implemented under the partnership of the UM Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the UM Church in Liberia , the Bangladeshi Contingent of United Nations Missions in Liberia in Nimba County and Power from the Son Inc.
View photo gallery from Ganta Hospital…
Steve Vincent, executive director of Power from the Son, said that sufficient electrical power is now secured to even help light up some part of Ganta City itself. The project, though costly, minimizes the cost of running several generators at the same time. He said the challenge was to bury wires to all of the homes, offices, medical facilities, which are far apart. Power from the Son traveled from Houston to undertake this project in Liberia. Technically assisted by the Bangladeshi Engineering Contingent of UNMIL assigned in Nimba County, they took two weeks to install transformers and high quality electrical wire on the entire Ganta Mission Station in Nimba County, which includes the new hospital facilities under construction, the current hospital and residential areas within the mission station.
The thanksgiving and dedication of the project on June 20 brought together local government officials including the commissioner of the Bain-Garr District, Madam Emma Konah, representative from the County Health Authority. The UMC was represented by Liberia Annual Conference lay leader, Rudolph Murab, connectional ministries director Joseph Theoway, the dean of bishop’s cabinet, Unisiah Conteh and the district superintendent of Gompa District, Rev. James Labala.
For his part, the UNMIL Bangladeshi Contingent, BENEGR 11, Lt. Col Md Nurul Huda said his engineering battalion’s involvement was purposely to identify with the UMC as it strives to care for the lives of people not only of the denomination and Liberia but also people from other parts of Guinea closer to the hospital.
The stable electrical supply provided by the project will help surgical equipment of the hospital work more consistently. In the past, electricity has failed during operations and some equipment would not work at all under the low power supply. Ganta UM Hospital touches the lives of more than 24,000 people in Nimba County and neighboring Guinea. In fact, Liberia’s Health Ministry has rated the Ganta UM Hospital as the best referral in Nimba County, even though the government runs a hospital in the county’s capital of Sanniquillie.
Electricity is scarce and very expensive throughout Liberia. The country’s main power source, the Mount Coffee Hydro, was badly damaged at the onset of the civil war in 1990. The new president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is ensuring that power is gradually restored throughout the country. The success of this project, supplying sufficient electricity at Ganta Hospital, is one of the direct dividends of the love and passion of Liberia Area Bishop, John Innis, for the development of not only his conference but also his country.
—George Stewart Jr., station manager, The UM Radio, ELUM98.7FM |
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