Going Home to Liberia

Esther Bacon’s memorial plaque ends with, “For whom she gave everything even her very life.” She was the legendary Lutheran nurse who rode her white horse around ZorZor and surrounding counties delivering babies and encouraging people to come to Curran Hospital. To make people welcome, she trained nurses from 10 surrounding tribes—now the well-known and much loved, “Esther Bacon School of Nursing & Midwifery.”

I lived in her house in 1969 and witnessed her total dedication to the people, especially the “BACA BABIES” she delivered and who have become the next generations of Bong & Lofa County residents. The biography about her life is entitled, “Outlaw for God https://www.google.com/search?q=outlaw+for+god+esther+bacon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari.” She died of Lassa Fever in 1972 just after this emerging infection was identified in ZorZor. The Baca Babies live on a half century later.

The tiny village next Curran Hospital where I worked was a Leprosy Compound for people excluded from their home towns because of unfounded fear and stigma. The entire family, not just the affected person, lived there. Fast forward 53 years, now Leprosy is treated with effective medications, (and renamed ‘Hansen’s Disease’), yet the families remain. I found a women of my age who was there when I was and met her son who is now the Pastor of the tiny Lutheran church. The harvested rice, okra and beans were drying in the sun. The houses are decorated with white handprints and leaf-stencil designs. We spoke of ‘then‘ and ‘now’ and felt the weight and amazement of a half century of life in Little Ganta🙏🌍

We went to visit dear friend (and travel mate), Joe Wiah’s Mom. Her name is appropriately, “Comfort“ Wiah❣️ She lives in the West Point neighborhood of Monrovia—-the largest slum in all of Liberia. We were greeted so warmly by her, and other relatives. How proud she is of her son —holding his Con Hogan Award brochure (from the ceremony just before we left Vermont for Liberia). Such a moment of pride, connection and love …grateful to have been part of this reunion.

Julian Doblah’s nickname is M.I.H (‘Make It Happen’) Julian—his endless energy, smarts, and positive attitude give us all hope for Liberia’s future. Since he was a small boy, Joe has been like a father to Julian—finding him shelter in a Don Bosco group home during the long Liberian war then helping to pay his school fees and tuition right through college. Julian is now married with children of his own. He opened a community health clinic in 2017 in his Monrovia neighborhood providing free care to pregnant women and others in need of primary care, including prenatal, delivery and post-natal care. I was able to contribute some supplies including packets of “PlumpyNut” a type of RUTF (Ready to Use Therapeutic Food) an effective treatment for malnutrition, and lots of notebooks & other stuff from Sesame Workshop (where my daughter, Molly is a graphic designer). The photo shows Julian’s staff meeting with us (The physician from Guinea, nurses, pharmacy & lab technicians, administrator, janitor and others). Julian has been traveling with us all week, a splendid way to get to know each other well. He is considering running for Liberia’s Parliament…..just what the country needs to live up to its potential, just as Julian has done himself (with Joe’s love and support throughout his life).

Going home to Liberia after 1/2 century has been a transformative experience. The journey taught me the impact of re-living a past experience in real-time. The power of rekindled and remarkable connections between former Peace Corps Volunteers and their Liberian students, village folks and those who were fortunate to spent part of our lives living among them, older and younger generations connecting Liberia’s past, present…and future through story-telling and shared experience….learning with eternal gratitude that “Relationships are the hallmark of a life well-lived” (Quote: Shankar Vedantam Host of The Hidden Brain podcast).