Kids4Kuwaa is a special project of the Kuwaa Mission, providing needed funds for the Kuwaa children living and going to school in their remote villages in Liberia, West Africa.
Kids4Kuwaa began some 10 years ago with a young 8th grade girl in Alaska who wanted to help the Kuwaa children. She collected “noisy offerings” of loose change deposited in small metal buckets during the offering portion of the church services. Since then, many churches, Sunday schools, Christian/Lutheran schools and Vacation Bible Schools have also been likewise encouraged and have responded in like manner.
Last month for example, Abiding Savior Lutheran School of Lake Forest and Christ Lutheran School of Costa Mesa in Southern California adopted Kids4Kuwaa for their 3rd quarter chapel offerings and raised over $2000 for the Mission. We praise God for their prayers and support of their brothers and sisters in schools inLiberia. Their offerings have been used for school supplies, Christian teaching materials, teacher training, water filters, school repairs and school medical supplies. These schools are located in remote villages off of the motor road in a remote area of Liberia.
Please consider helping these children. Let us know if you would like to adopt Kids4Kuwaa with your Sunday School, Church School, and Vacation Bible School. We have children’s coloring pages, bookmarks and a brief visual presentation available for your use. You may also wish to adopt one of the schools for continued support and share letters with the schools and their teachers.
Thank you and God bless your own personal and/or congregational mission efforts locally and globallyas we proclaim that Christ is risen! He has risen indeed! Hallelujah!!
Imagine that you get up one morning, walk into your kitchen to put water on for coffee or tea – and no water comes out of the tap. You look around and maybe find a few water bottles or ice you can use – but what next? You cannot shower! You cannot do laundry! What would you do if the nearest grocery store is miles away- and you have no car because there is no road to your village? The nearest source of water is a dirty creek that is drying up in the hot, dry season.
This situation is happening daily in remote villages in Liberia, West Africa. The water wells they depend on for drinking and cooking may break down or run low during dry season. For example, in the town of Gatema that Stan Olsen and I (Jenny Cosgrove) visited in January, one old well hasn’t worked in years and the one which the Kuwaa Mission installed several years ago, was going dry. It is not that far into dry season and already the villagers were using it for drinking water only, and families were rationing their use to every other day. Sadly, we have since gotten reports that they are resorting to using the dirty creek for drinking water again.
Safe drinking water has resulted in better health, thus children and adults are living longer. The village populations are increasing and the current pumps are used more often. These pumps need periodic repairs and there is a need for more and deeper wells in the towns as well.
We are really excited by a new development in well drilling – our new hand drilled (instead of hand dug) well in Fassama is deeper than any of our older wells. This new approach is needed in so many villages where the water table drops as the dry season progresses. We are asking for your help to repair wells and dig more of them for the Kuwaa people in remote villages. This season, we have already repaired or dug/drilled seven more wells, but it hasn’t been enough.
The need is great and urgent. Your one time or monthly tax deductible donation can bring drinking water to so many who need it. On the Kuwaa Mission facebook page or website you will find a donation link. Alternatively, you can mail a one time or monthly contribution to assist us in providing clean water upcountry. It may not seem like a lot, but $5 a month from many caring people would go a long way to providing clean water for a village. Will you please help us?
We also would like to suggest a new program where we pair groups such as congregations, schools, and charity groups with specific projects. Your partnership could include clean water wells, assistance for school children and their teachers, women’s health programs, and/or assistance to village churches and evangelists. Please contact Stan Olsen if you would like to learn more about this special program. ( solsen@kuwaamission.org )
As always, we are so grateful for your prayers and your support. The Kuwaa people also send their greetings and many thanks for your help. They thank God for you and so do we. Na mama o – (thank you in Kuwaa).
Jenny Cosgrove and I, Stan Olsen, have just returned from our trip to Liberia where we had a wonderful time connecting with old friends, meeting new friends and getting updates on various Kuwaa Mission programs. Bottom line is that all our programs are doing well and making a very positive impact. This year we conducted a joint Bible / Koran School in Lowoma with stories common to both the Old Testament and the Koran. Over 150 children attended and had a great time over two days. Rev. Paye told a very animated story of David and Goliath and the local Muslim leader told about Moses and Pharaoh. The kids really enjoyed Rev. Paye acting out the story, not to mention the popcorn and Kool aid distributed the final day.
Jenny and Korpo conducting a Days for Girls program
Jenny and Korpo Barsay, our Liberian leader of the Bible School and Sanitation programs presented a new program for us called “Days for Girls”. This teaches young girls who are just about to start, or are starting, their menstrual periods about the changes in their bodies and how to deal with those changes. Many girls end up dropping out of school once their period starts never to return. After the class room setting, and a question / answer session, we distributed over 100 washable, reusable sanitary napkin kits to girls in three villages. The girls asked many good questions and were very excited to get the kits. If they take care of them and wash them properly the kits should last each girl 3-4 years. We are the first NGO to bring this program to Liberia and it has proved very popular. We also presented the program to Phebe and Curran Nursing Schools, both associated with the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) as well as to ELWA Hospital in Monrovia. Phebe and Curran hope to include this program into their nursing curriculum and have the students take it into the villages. We plan to send 2-3 women to Accra, Ghana for further training.
New well for 2019
This year we are installing 3 hand dug wells to a depth of 40’ in the villages of Balama, Konjade and Teglei and repairing wells in three different villages. Additionally, this year we hired a contractor from Monrovia to “hand drill” a well in Fassama. We have not tried this before but there are several firms in Monrovia that do this work, just none up country away from a paved highway. He was able to drill two holes to a depth of 80’ where he got a very strong and consistent flow of water. Going this deep the wells should not have the issue of running dry due to a drop in the water table over the dry season. We are sponsoring a program for pregnant women called “Big Belly”. This program will be conducted by the LCL with our financial assistance. It teaches pregnant women about the changes in their body, how the fetus develops, proper nutrition and how to care for themselves and the baby while it develops. The program also tries to get the father involved so he can properly help care for his wife and their new baby. The LCL was involved in the creation of this program so it is not new to them.
Gatema Lutheran Church
We also visited several churches and schools up country. Most of these facilities need a lot of work and the people are more than willing to perform their share but just need some help with materials not available. The churches mainly just need some corrugated metal roofing sheets, carboline to treat the wood against termites and cement for the floor and to plaster the walls to protect against the heavy rains. An average cost of $3000- $4000 will take care of the materials and transportation. Transportation is the most expensive item.
Lowoma School
The schools are also in poor shape, need the same materials plus blackboards, chalk, copy books and pencils for the children, chairs and tables, and textbooks for the teachers. The size of the school varies quite a bit according to how big the town is. Typically a school would have 6-8 classrooms and an office for the principal. The budget to cover school costs would be more like $5000 – $6000 as these buildings are much bigger. I would really like to see a congregation “adopt” a church or school and be responsible for raising the funds to renovate the structure. Most churches are served by a part-time evangelist or deacon. The school cost would also include covering the minimal yearly cost of supplies and support for the teacher. The teachers receive a very minimal salary, even by Liberian standards, if at all. In addition to teaching they also have to make their own farm to provide rice and food for their families. If you, or your church, is interested in such a program I am very willing and excited to talk to you about this possibility in greater detail. I know it would be something you would be very excited about, proud of and you would receive many blessings for participating in this program. I would mean the world to the people in the village if there was such participation by our supporters here in America. We have changed our mailing address for the receipt of donations. All donations should be addressed to the Kuwaa Mission at:
The New Year brought Stan Olsen, Kuwaa Mission CEO, to the Cosgrove
residence in California, on Jan 7th from Alaska. Stan and Jenny Stelling
Cosgrove, Kuwaa Board member left for Liberia on Jan 8th. They had
stops in Montreal, Brussels and in Sierra Leone before landing at
Robertsfield. Lutheran friends met them and transported them to the
Lutheran Guest House in Sinkor.
Once settled in they met with Bishop Seyenkulo of the LCL and Bishop
Bolay of the ELCL. Supplies up country were purchased in Monrovia. and
touching base with Samaritans Purse was essential ( at that time they did
not know if transport via SP helicopter was available). They did get the ok
for a ride to and from the villages. Praise God for Samaritan’s Purse! The
February Prayer Letter will be about their trip.
February also is the 10th Anniversary of the Kuwaa Mission. Rev Dr.
Richard Thompson and Bishop Jensen Seyenkulo are the founders of this
mission. Several celebrations will be held in February and a special New
Year/20th Anniversary card and Prayer Letter will be forthcoming.
The Kuwaa Mission board is comprised of all volunteers. This year several
board members will be retiring from the board. If any of you feel led to help
us by being a board member we would love to hear from you. We always
appreciate new people. The Kuwaa people need our help.
The board currently has approved $600 for the continuation of evangelist
training in Totota. We have approved $650 for motor bike transportation
between villages if needed. Funds also have been approved for bringing
supplies for well repair in Belle Yelleh. Stan carried 3 large bags of Days for
Girls kits. Jenny brought 1 large bag and Big Belly books to share with
each village. Satellite communication reveals all is successful so far
For the Kuwaa Mission Team, Diane Stelling – Member of the Board of Directors PS: If you are interested: Google Big Belly Liberia and Days For Girls
December and Advent are upon us, sending all sorts of joy and good will. You hear Christmas music being played
everywhere, Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells at many stores and
strangers wishing you a “Very Merry Christmas”.
In Romans 15:13, we read, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the
holy spirit.” We hear people say,
“pay it forward” and “give accordingly”. Volunteers work
endlessly for the food banks, Toys for Tots and a variety of service organizations
providing assistance to families this time of year. In Psalm 92:4 we
read, “I sing for joy at the works of your hands.”
On behalf of the Kuwaa people, the Kuwaa Mission board would like to thank the
myriad of churches and various organizations who continue to make the mission
possible. Your prayers, donations and endless hours of volunteer work
have provided the Kuwaa people with health clinics, many wells for clean water,
VBS programs, health kits for girls and women along with education for teachers
and lay preachers.
In Romans 8:28 we read, “and we know that in all things God works for the good
of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
May the Spirit of Christmas continue to provide you with peace and joy all throughout
2019!
Your contributions to the Kuwaa Mission are tax-deductible. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Our tax ID number is 27-5458111
Donations can be given in two ways: A Check to the mission address or PayPal on our Website: The Kuwaa Mission c/o Bethany Lutheran Church 1340 8th Street. Slidell, LA 70458
