The Red Hill Community in the Township of Johnsonville in District # 2, Montserrado County was a scene of jubilation among residents as roads leading to several parts of the community were being rehabilitated after many years.
The project which is intended to rehabilitate major roads in the community is being sponsored by the Compassion for Life based in the United States of America in partnership with the Bishop of the Independent Catholic Church of Liberia (ICCL), Bishop Nimely Jacbokly Donyen.
Speaking to reporters last week, Bishop Donyen again commended the Compassion for Life for its continuous support to projects that are impacting the lives of people in Liberia.
He said that roads that were earmarked for rehabilitation are, Red Hill, lower Red Hill including parts of Grass Field Roads as well as Boakai Village area while Wein Town Road is expected to commence today saying, that they were in deplorable conditions as they have not been rehabilitated for several years evident by huge rocks underground with some other parts of the rocks protruding thereby impeding the free movement of people, lest to mention vehicles. Muddy deep holes on the roads containing stagnant dirty water could be glaringly seen.
According to him, road is a human rights issue because people have the right to move freely in their country adding that community roads are very essential due to the fact that they are the passages through which residents access their homes, so the project is just one of his partnership’s interventions that will recondition those roads so that vehicles and motorbikes can be able to smoothly commute people to their homes again.
Bishop Donyen urged the government to always encourage and to be appreciative when people who have contact with humanitarians in the diaspora appeal for them to undertake projects in the county because according to him, government alone does not have the capacity to provide everything for its people.
“When project like this and others are successfully implemented in the country, the credit goes to the government but only the people who are on the ground will know the history behind the project,” he indicated.
The Clergyman then frowned on some officials of government to stop using their political powers to prevent goodwill gestures from reaching the needy in the country noting that his partnership paid US$12,000.00 for the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation (LWSC) to connect the community but after the process, the community only got the water for few months and that those officials later diverted it for commercial purpose, disclosing that several appeals to the President for his intervention had fallen on deaf ears.
The valve to the waterline that prevented the water to flow into the community for more than three years, following the protest that was led by the Concerned Women in the community has been opened and water is running to the community but pointed out that he is astonished to see water running to the community and it is not reaching his residence and the Cheerful Givers High School (CGHS) who should have been the prime beneficiaries of the project.
As such, he has reiterated his appeals to President George Weah to please mandate authorities at the LWSC to reopen their valve because running a school without water is a threat to the lives of the children during this Coronavirus pandemic.
“We have good friends who are willing to help provide social services like water, electricity and other services for the people,” he disclosed.
Responding to the goodwill gesture from the partnership, Lawrence Tokpah, Chairman/ Lower Red Hill Community and Hawa Moore, Chairlady expressed delight for the Bishop and Compassion for Life’s unflinching commitment geared toward addressing the needs of the community.
According to them, they have been the only group who always go to their rescue in time of difficulties stressing that their road which is located beneath the hill leads to South Beach, Grass Field and extends toward Chicken Soup Factory in Gardnersville which is a difficult terrain.
“Its condition had always worsened during every raining season. We walked every day before we can leave our homes for our daily activities which has been challenging for our school-going kids as vehicles and motorbikes could no longer venture there,” they lamented.
The people of the community lauded the partnership for its timely intervention toward their appeal for assistance which has transformed the roads as vehicles and motorbikes can now move freely in the communities.