Liberia

Lifewater's Work in Liberia

No one knows the value of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene more than the people of Liberia. In 1989, Liberia's 127 years of peaceful democracy was shattered when a civil war erupted. it lasted for eight years until 1997, and was followed by another from 1989 to 2003.

More than 200,000 people were killed. During the near-constant fighting, most wells and other water supplies were destroyed -- sending desperate people on a search for safe water that continues for many of them today. Very few wells exist and many are contaminated, broken, or over-used. People are often forced to draw water from stagnant swamps or ditches and therefore water-borne diseases (dysentery, cholera, infectious hepatitis) are common.

In 1995, Lifewater was invited to help Liberians address this water and sanitation crisis. Our volunteers were asked by the European Union and the Liberian government to conduct the first systematic testing of 150 communal wells in the capital city of Monrovia. The report said:

The average water temperature in a well was 83F -- so warm that nearly all wells had active bacterial populations
Half the wells had coliform and/or pathogenic bacteria
37% of the wells weren't producing at capacity
30% of the hand-powered pumps required repair

Today, thanks to donors like you, our Liberian teams are drilling new wells, rehabilitating dormant wells, installing and repairing hand pumps, building communal toilets and hand-washing stations, and providing Health and Hygiene training. Hundreds of thousands of Liberians are benefiting from this work each day, and many lives have been saved.

However, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (0ECD) still ranks Liberia as one of 34 countries least capable of achieving the United Nations' International Development Goals. With your support, we can continue to help Liberia by focusing on water, sanitation, and hygiene programs in schools, clinics, orphanages, and rural villages.

We are doing this work through two vital partnerships -- one with Lifewater Liberia and the other with Liberia Service to Servants (STS).

The Lifewater Liberia team

The Lifewater Liberia team focuses entirely on drilling new water wells in a nation where they are desperately needed.

	Rev. Stephen Varfee, Country Coordinator Stephen coordinates all the work done by the Lifewater Liberia team and the Lifewater STS team. He assumed this role in April 2023 after serving as Lifewater Liberia's Project Coordinator since 2017. Stephen is also the Senior Pastor of New Harvest Church, a member of the Africa Leadership Peace Ambassadors organization, and a strong advocate for children’s education and young women in leadership. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Public Administration, and diplomas in Pastoral Ministry and Social Work.
	Henry S. Tengbeh, Program Coordinator Henry began assisting the Project Coordinator in late 2021 and became Program Coordinator in April 2023. He came to Lifewater Liberia after serving in managerial roles with several organizations including, most recently, a major Liberian transportation company where he was Administrative and Human Resources Manager. Henry has a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Liberia in Economics, and diplomas in Computer Science.
	Rocky G. Kollie, Senior Driller and Supervisor Rocky is a hard-working and humble man. It was only after years of working with him that we learned he'd been a member of Liberia's national soccer team! He is passionate about his work in repairing hand pumps because he has seen how badly a community's health can suffer when pumps remain broken and wells are unused.
	Boakia Thomas, Senior Driller and Supervisor
	Kelvin Fayiah Bomboo, Driller and Driver
	Victor Dolo, Lead Mechanic
	Rev. Haven Johnson, Evangelist with Health and Hygiene Training Team, and Community Mobilizer
	Sangbeh Dennis, Head of Security and Compound Maintenance
	Francis Kafie, Security and Compound Maintenance
	Peter S. Johnson, Security Guard
	Wellington Diggs, Security Guard

The Lifewater Service to Servants (STS) team

The Lifewater Service to Servants (STS) team assesses community needs to determine whether a new water well is required or if instead, a pump can be repaired to make an existing well function again. New wells are drilled by the Lifewater Liberia team, while pump repairs are completed by the Lifewater STS team, which also provides community Health and Hygiene education.

	Rev. Stephen Varfee, Country Coordinator Stephen coordinates all the work done by the Lifewater STS team and the Lifewater Liberia team. He assumed this role in April 2023 after serving as Lifewater Liberia's Project Coordinator since 2017. Stephen is also the Senior Pastor of New Harvest Church, a member of the Africa Leadership Peace Ambassadors organization, and a strong advocate for children’s education and young women in leadership. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Public Administration, and diplomas in Pastoral Ministry and Social Work.
	Joe LeLee Sloan, Project Coordinator Joe is the Country Director for Service to Servants (STS) in Liberia and the Project Coordinator for Lifewater STS. A member of the Salvation Army church, Joe has a Bachelor of Science degree from Stella Maris University in Electronics Engineering with a concentration in Information and Communication Technology. He also has a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Liberia Institute of Public Administration. He has worked as an Information and Communication Technology Analyst and Manager, as a Network Switch Engineer/NOC, as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for several institutions, and as a consultant on many projects in Liberia. Joe joined Lifewater STS in April 2023.
	Frank Green, Assessment and Education Team member
	William Vesselee, Assessment and Education Team member William joined Lifewater in 2008, was trained as a Health & Hygiene Trainer, obtained his professional driving diploma, and became Community Mobilization Team Leader in 2010. In 2012, he also became the Handpump Assessment Project Leader, responsible for assessing handpumps and implementing simple repairs. William documents factors that contribute to handpumps remaining unrepaired while people revert to hauling unsafe water from distant sources.
	Larwuo ("Blessing") Kezelee, Assessment and Education Team member Blessing's responsibilities include conducting pre-project and post-project research to determine the health and social impacts of new wells, rehabilitated wells, and repaired pumps.
	Tawah Bumdoo, Assessment and Education Team member Tawah is certified by Lifewater Canada as a Health & Hygiene Trainer and Community Mobilizer. She helps communities participate in well drilling and handpump planting projects to ensure the pumps have long lives. She has also co-led more than 200 workshops in various communities, including many in schools, churches, and mosques.
	Delphine Jallah, Assessment and Education Team member Delphine has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Liberia. She is a dedicated and experienced accounting professional with proven success in managing finances for mid-size commercial organizations. A Christian, she joined Lifewater STS in July 2023.
	Sam Saye Waquoi, Pump Repair Team member Sam joined Lifewater Liberia in February 2014 as a mechanic. He has a BBA Degree in Management from the Stella Maris Polytechnic, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia, and a Vocational Diploma in General Mechanics from Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Kakata, Liberia. He joined Liberia STS in 2023.
	Charles Morris, Pump Repair Team member Charles is a graduate of Paynesville Public School. A Christian, he started working with Lifewater Liberia as a drilling intern in 2016 and transferred to Lifewater STS as a pump repairer in April 2023.
	Anthony Bombo, Pump Repair Team member Anthony joined the Lifewater Liberia team as a security guard and, thanks to his dedication and hard work, became a member of Lifewater STS's Pump Repair Team in April 2023. He is a graduate of Soul Clinic Public School.
	Matthew Sando, Pump Repair Team member
	Oral T. Goanue, Driver Oral transports staff and equipment to and from project sites as a member of the Assessment and Evaluation (A&E) team. A Christian, he has driving experience in almost all of Liberia's counties while serving in various roles including with the Liberia National Red Cross Society. Oral is a graduate of Len Millar High School and of Liberia's School of Professional Driving Education. He joined Lifewater STS in August 2023.

Play the six-minute video of Lifewater in Liberia
(Songs are from a 200-voice African Choir Celebrating Lifewater's 200th well in Liberia!)

Important Liberia Website Links

Liberian Embassy (Washington, DC)
Water & Orphanage Work (Humanwave.com)
Expat's Guide to Living in Liberia
Satellite Map of Monrovia
Liberia Page (U. Penn)
Up-to-Date Liberia News (All-Africa.com)
Friends of Liberia Organization
Liberian Post
Christian Humanitarian Assistance Program (CHAP)