Friday, January 27, 2012

ladysmith news article...

HELPING HAND — Nyalanougbae “Chris” Floma (right) is currently receiving donated medical treatment for glaucoma in the U.S. with the help of Global Orphan Outreach, a non-profit organization led by Sheldon resident Donna Barber. GOO helps provide humanitarian efforts like medical care, school financial aid, water well and agriculture projects in the western African country of Liberia, where the majority of residents live in poverty conditions.

Sheldon resident connects African orphans with donated medical assistance stateside

Luke Klink

One might say the children Donna Barber helps are the ones who are most in need of a helping hand.

Barber, who lives in the Sheldon area, recently returned home from Liberia with a young boy with the African name of Nyalanougbae Floma. Chris, for short.

Suffering from glaucoma in one eye, Chris is now receiving donated treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. As a special needs child in Liberia, he could have been cast aside and forgotten because of his disability. In the U.S., he couldn’t be in better hands.

He is having surgery next week. Doctors are removing cataracts, and then later will do optical lens implants and lengthen and tighten eye muscles. Chris will be here in the states for another six months for work needed to strengthen his eyes before he goes back to Africa.

The rest of this story is in the Jan. 29 Ladysmith News.

Friday, January 13, 2012

a little help WILL change a whole country- it starts with ONE!

A LITTLE HELP WILL CHANGE A WHOLE COUNTRY, PLEASE BE A PART!

Hello, my name is Sedekie B. Kamara, and I’m 25 years old with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. I am a practicing journalist, a local peace builder/ trainer and a social worker here in post-war Liberia. I come from small town, Gbartala, and a district of 36,000 people who rely on their very few university graduate children to transform their despair into concrete hope and chronic poverty into better living conditions. I have kept deep in my heart and mind the vision to help effect this transition since I was a child. Now, I have an opportunity to travel to the US to pursue a Master’s degree in Development Economics which will help significantly expand my scope of operations in order to impact more lives in my district. But I cannot travel to the US owing to the lack of money to cover my travel expense and paper work. I therefore ask that you kindly donate your widow’s might to help me acquire this vital training to help my country.

THE NEED

The war in my country, Liberia, destroyed our human resource and sociopolitical institutions greatly thereby increasing the need for capacity building to accelerate post-war national reconstruction. As in every post-war country, the need for multi-sectoral assistance is ubiquitous but the resources are very scarce. Therefore contributing to the human resource development of the population can be a strategically important way to impact the development trends of my country. I believe that Liberia can progress through your little financial assistance in the regard.

SOME SUCCESS

I graduated with honors in my class (Golden Jubilee 2011) and have since continued my community engagements for Peace and Conflict Resolution and a wide range of youth networking programs including capacity building. As a result of my work in youth leadership, peace building and community organizing, I was nominated by the US Embassy in Liberia to travel to the US on the State Department’s Premium Professional Exchange Program- the Youth Empowerment and Leadership sub-section of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). This experience has greatly inspired and motivated me in my struggle for community development and empowerment in war-ravaged Liberia.

VOLUNTEERISM AND MEMBERSHIP

I have several times volunteered with Global Orphan Outreach (GOO); serving as photographer and support staff on rural and urban field trips. The kind of passionate work that GOO does for disadvantaged and underprivileged kids in particular and families in general has been very helpful in strengthening my resolve to help raise the living standards of my people.

I have also served voluntarily as Teaching Assistant in my University ( Cuttington University, Liberia) for about three years. Also, I taught severally in the only Junior High School in my home town (Gbartala) as well as in the Laine Refugee Camp in Guinea where we finally sought refuge against all odds during the wars in Liberia and Ivory Coast.

I accepted my nomination to serve as representative (absolutely voluntary) in Liberia of the World Spirit Youth Hub; the youth wing of the Children of the Earth (COE). The COE is a global peace networking group for mutual understanding and development to make mother earth a better place for all.

Tax deductible gifts to help Sedekie can be sent to Global Orphan Outreach P.O. Box 193 Ladysmith, Wi 54848. Donations can be made through our pay pal button online at our website as well. Please put (for sedekie) in memo. Thank you!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year from the Children of Liberia!

Happy New Year From the Children of Liberia! Thank you for being our voice to the world. And for sharing our life stories. We hope God continues to bless you as he moves you to a place of compassion and action.

Thank you for helping to spread the word of our need for clean drinking water. For helping to prevent cholera and dysentery that kills so many due to the lack of this basic need.

Thank you for praying for our every needs- our families, our desire to have a home to live in and for safety.

Thank you for helping us with medical outreach. Medicine that was needed. Health education wanted. And yes sometimes life saving surgery. Without you there is no hope.

Thank you for food! The much needed nourishment to our bodies. Your compassion is food to our souls- knowing someone out there cares.

Thank you for the opportunity of an education. Without it we have no future.

Thank you for praying for our well being. For thinking of us. For we have hopes and dreams like every child. To be someone great. To be called by God into action where God has planted us one day. We want you to know that we pray for you too.