The Hands of Hope Foundation has a major footing in Liberia and has been there for almost 10 years. We have been a part of starting over 150 churches, building medical clinics, bringing clean water to villages, and building schools as well as sponsoring hundreds of students to receive an education that was previously impossible.
Click here for an overview of the history of Liberia
Medical Outreach
With one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, and an average life expectancy of just 58, Liberia is a country in desperate need of quality health care. Providing medical care is one of the core of activities Hands of Hope Foundation is involved in. The addition of the surgical clinic in 2014 has really strengthened the effectiveness of this work.
Each year we take a team of medical professionals to provide medical care at the United Methodist District Center in Weala. These teams can provide help in our clinic for general conditions and also dental care, eye care, provide much needed medicine at our pharmacy, and even perform surgery, both minor and major procedures. We typically see around 1,000 patients per week while our team is in country. We also provide training to local doctors and health care workers. While we have our medical team in Liberia, they provide valuable peer to peer training and conduct medical seminars.
Currently most of this work is performed in temporary facilities, but we are working on building a full medical surgical at Weala that will complete by the end of 2013. Our goal is to raise enough financial support to staff this new facility and provide year-round care.
Over the past few years we have provided millions of dollars in medical equipment, medicine, and relief supplies. Much of this equipment and medicine is not available in Liberia. Almost all of the supplies we have sent in the last six years has been donated from so many of our incredible partners and U.S. hospitals and medical companies. We are so grateful for tens of thousands of lives these supplies have impacted.
In 2014, the Ebola outbreak affected many of our friends and colleagues in Liberia. This halted many of the plans and projects we had to serve the people. The goal then became to aid our brothers and sisters in the Ebola fight and keeping our clinics open. In November, we completed a tour that saw $35,000 raised to send 6 containers full of millions of dollars of supplies to Liberia to bring Ebola relief.
Education
"Through education people are redeemed from darkness."
-Bishop John G. Innis, United Methodist Church, Liberia.
We understand that in nations like Liberia, education is the only way out of a cycle of darkness and poverty that can last for generations. The Hands of Hope Foundation is working to provide education to as many children as possible. We do this through our partnership with the John Wesley School in Weala, along with area colleges and universities. Sponsorships provide for education and uniforms for children in grade school and high school, and to provide college education through our "Hope Scholars" program. Education creates power, and that power grants freedom from the cycle of poverty. We have the impact of education on the lives of hundreds of our scholars. Learn more about our scholarship program.
Church Planting
It has been our great privilege during our time in Liberia to be involved in evangelistic crusades and the formation of several churches. During our last visit, for example, we held a crusade in the community of Jenneta and the response was so great that we were able to secure land, hold a baptism service and start a brand new church all during our time there. This new church is already growing and bringing life to the community. We have great favor with the local leaders and look for great things to happen in Jenneta. Similar stories can be told of our other church plants. We are committed to this process of starting and sustaining solid, Bible-teaching churches all over Liberia. Please check back here soon to see a video update on the churches we are currently working with in Liberia.
Clean Water Initiatives
Access to clean, safe water is said to be the number one medical crisis in the world. So much of the diseases we see and treat in Liberia can be prevented if people had clean water to drink. Working with the United Methodist Church of Liberia, we have established deep water wells at all of the locations where we have planted churches. In these communities the church brings spiritual life and hope, and the well brings physical life and hope. Our work in this area has only just begun and we are currently working on forming partnerships with other organizations who specialize in deep water wells.