The Bishop of the Independent Catholic Church of Liberia (ICCL), Nimely Jacobkly Donyen has given 500 25kg bags of rice to several flood victims in District # 2, Montserrado County.
Communities that benefited from Bishop Donyen’s lastest humanitarian gesture are Kpanwen, Nimba United Communities including New Life, Peace City as well as Karn-Karn Town and Mount Barclay Oldfield Communities. Other communities are, Logan Town Community Lower Johnsonville; Grassfield Communities among others.
Bishop Donyen disclosed at the presentation ceremony over the weekend at his residence in the Red Hill Community that the intervention was triggered by the recent flood disaster that affected some residents of those communities that has further exacerbated their sufferings.
“When I viewed photos and video footages of those areas including others that I received from people coupled with appeals from the residents; I vividly sensed portrayal of dehumanization which compelled me to contact my reliable friends,” he indicated.
According to him, he immediately sent those images of the horrifying scenes of submerged homes to his partners, the Compassion for Life (CFL), USA along with the appeals for them to intervene saying that they indeed agreed as usual to render the assistance referring to it as a pilot project.
Speaking further, he informed the gathering that the cost of the donation is US$7,720 adding that the donors approved the project before he realized that more than 500 kg bags of rice were needed and as such he explained that CFL provided the rice for only recent flood victims in the district.
Bishop Donyen told the people that he has started some negotiations with his friends so that they can help address some of the difficulties that District # 2 residents have been faced with throughout the years.
He named those issues as constant flooding, access to health-care facilities including bad community roads amongst others, adding that he has appealed to the donors for them to send environmental Scientists to the district purposely so as to carry out a survey of the landscape and provide expert advice as to the cause of the flooding situation and what can be done aimed at its mitigation.
Secondly, the ICCL Bishop stated that the plan also contained bringing a group of Medical Doctors from the USA to Liberia annually for them to perform humanitarian services, asserting that as they examine patients, the case(s) that require surgery will be done free of charge.
“We will also have a team of competent Liberian Lawyers who will represent the legal interest of people without any cost as humanitarians would pay the lawyer’s fees,” he remarked.
The eminent resident of the district who has distinguished himself as the initiator of several projects as a private citizen assured the people that a yellow machine will undoubtedly be procured for the district so that constant reconditioning of all community roads and opening new ones can be regular.
“All these plans are stored for the district, so let us continue working together because we have a lot to benefit in the future,” he urged the people and further assured the people that those projects that he is implementing like scholarships, micro loans for marketers continue and they will be done on larger scale in the future.
Responding to the goodwill gesture, A. Nyema Harris, Elder of Kparwen Community lauded Bishop Donyen and the Compassion for Life (CFL) for always coming to their aid in time of need, noting that the gesture didn’t come as a surprise but that they anticipated it.
He then encouraged everyone to keep identifying with the Bishop as he has proven to be dependable.
Patricia K. Gbotoe, Chairlady, New Life Community told Bishop Donyen that Community dwellers will be with him at all times admitting that the bridge that was constructed in their community has brought serious relief to them from the previous dilapidated death trap bridge.
“We will be with you whenever you call us,” she assured.
Stephen Dehmite, Development Chairman, Nimba United Community also expressed gratitude to the Bishop and his partners for coming to their aid pointing out that their area was the hardest flood-hit indicating that they lost everything as water entered homes and passed window levels.
“People were in their homes for days at which time they had to be rescued sequentially from the flooded houses,” Dehmite explained.
