David Waines is a Canadian High School teacher who studied at Regents College and with his wife Audry has spent a considerable time as an effective missionary in Liberia and the Ivory Coast. Audry is a Canadian trained nurse and together David and Audry operate a ministry called, Frontline Health. This ministry trains elementary school teachers to be health workers and to promote health in the schools. Health should be understood as both physical and spiritual well being. In addition to this the Waines operate a children 92s ministry and organize leadership-training programs for pastors and evangelists.
Contact Audry at audrywaines@yahoo.com or audrywaines@gmail.com
We would love volunteers: Medical interns to monitor/supervise and build capacity of the 22 clinics under RBHS, a Construction Manager (our son Daniel is filling this position at present), a Watsan (Water and Sanitation Manager) to supervise all Watsan activities, Program Manager in Nimba and Sinoe, Program Developer (assist us in project proposals, etc.) Communications/IT person to fill our gap in newsletter, website update, computer repairs, etc. and a Mechanic to maintain our vehicle fleet. For further details go to our website at www.equipliberia.org and click on Get Involved or contact Audrey Waines at the email addresses listed above or contact Equip International.
An update from David Waines our Equip, Canada missionary serving in Liberia.
Healing the children and families trapped behind the combat frontlines in Nimba, Liberia.
350,000 people in Nimba are cut off from Monrovia and all other humanitarian assistance. There is fighting in nearby Duo and no law or order in Nimba. The UN Military helicopter has agreed to carry me and our "cold boxes" of vaccines in to support our EQUIP CHA emergency health teams restarting vaccination coverage. Hundreds of children are dying in Nimba because medicines, vaccines and food cannot get through. As the fighting continues in Nimba, virtually the entire population of the county are becoming internally displaced and in desperate need of health care and food. They are trapped in Nimba with LURD pushing up from the southwest and MODEL attacking the eastern flank. Most remaining in Nimba believe both Ivory Coast and Guinea are hostile towards them and they will likely be targeted for revenge if they flee there. At the time of writing no UN or NGO Aid groups, except EQUIP, are operational in Nimba as they have not been able to resupply their clinics or feeding centres for months.
I am in awe of the dedication of our four EQUIP Liberia Frontline Emergency Health Teams who, with overcoming faith, are doing the seemingly impossible. Our health teams consist of carefully selected Liberian health professionals with strong track records of commitment, effectiveness and integrity. Each team includes one Physician's Assistant (PA) and/or one Registered Nurse (RN), a Midwife, a Certified Midwife or Supplemental Feeding Case Manager, a Leading Community Health Worker, and a Lead Water and Sanitation Worker.
They are risking their lives on flimsy rafts bringing medicines across the raging St. John River from Guinea. They endure threats and abuse at checkpoints as they buy locally available high protein biscuits and corn soya blend plus fish, peanuts, beans, and sesame seeds to feed approximately 100 moderately to severely malnourished children every day in four areas.
Mission Possible. No one can drive a motorcycle or vehicle in Nimba because it will be stolen by the fighters. So, our people charter trips on motorbikes and vehicles controlled by the fighters! You cannot carry money in across the frontlines, so we transfer money to resupply our teams through Floyd's General Merchant in Saniquellie. This keeps the emergency medical work and the feeding of malnourished children going. Please pray for our Christian health workers who are making a way for healing where there is seemingly no way. Tomorrow, when I get off the UN helicopter, I will drop off the last 2,000 USD I have here in Liberia with the Coordinator, Joseph Klikbo, to buy more medicines and support the vaccinations and feeding work. At this time we have no funding for this project except private donations. Please consider supporting this urgent appeal for Frontline Emergency Health work with a financial gift to EQUIP. Please pray that God will continue to help our work in Nimba and around Liberia.
Some of my diary notes since I arrived in Liberia:
September 18th I'm back in Monrovia. There are too many children in Monrovia with missing arms and legs. The war damage is fresh and hanging everywhere over this town. Pray for peace.
Most people in Monrovia have glad and grateful hearts following their deliverance from war. Most are starting over with zero. "They looted everything from us down to the wires from the wall!" is often heard on first greeting.
September 19th The mortar detonated as soon as it came in contact with the roof of the house next door to ours (Waines house) on Mamba Point. Every one of the family of six was home and all were wounded by the red hot metal bomb fragments. Alpha, the husband, lifts up his t-shirt to show me where a chunk of metal is still embedded in his shoulder. Musu their six-year-old daughter with a delightfully shy smile, had her right arm ripped up. It had to be amputated below the elbow. She greets me many times a day as I come and go down the footpath away from our house. "Hello, White man," she says softly waving her handless right arm out of habit, then remembering it's not the same anymore and waving with her left hand instead. Musu has an old Barbie doll she hugs very tight. Her Barbie is also missing her right arm.
September 22nd The attention grabbing "BOOWHABOOWHA" of US and ECOMIL Military helicopters is overhead constantly here in Monrovia. Two more just flew low right over us on another shuttle to the two US warships, which are just off the coast. In movies the sound of these Apache attack helicopters is always associated with the dread of an incoming attack. This morning at the Inland Church Elder Prince Sawan's message got drowned out by three sets of Apaches flying over. Prince paused to "praise God for how thundering loud those choppers are. That's the sound of our blessed peace being maintained - God sent those choppers right over us to remind us that He answered all our desperate prayers for peace."
September 27th Malnutrition amongst children is at the worst levels we have ever seen. During the height of combat and hunger in August one cup of rice sold for 100Lib. Everyone has lost a lot of weight through the war. There is ongoing fighting outside Monrovia and the violence and arms are thick and ever present, even in Monrovia. Despite all this we see that God is opening before us a great window of opportunity to save lives and make a difference in the way this nation comes up out of this tragic war.
September 30th The up to 8,000 people at the Masonic temple used to leave their waste all over the rocks and in the grass along the same footpath leading from our house to Benson Street. There was an outbreak of watery dysentery. More latrines were made, and the Equip staff started intensive health education and monitoring of the area. The education and assigning 25 refugees to keep certain areas clean for incentives has dramatically cleaned things up. Health has improved greatly. You can now walk down the path without holding your nose and constantly watching where you step.
October 5th I woke up early with people at the door needing help with Hawa's infected leg. Then we did the rounds of the sick and malnourished children amongst the refugees in the Masonic temple. We had bought another huge bale of children's clothes and gave them out to the children with rags or nothing on. We kept going all day organizing treatments, health trainings, etc. The day ended at 11:00 p.m. with a couple bringing a little unconscious baby to my attention - seemed like a medication overdose - so off we went to Catholic hospital. After midnight I had some work I urgently needed to do when I got home but fell asleep with my clothes on under the glow of the computer screen. Too much work. Too little help. Not enough money. These are the default settings in post war Liberia. You can't throw a stone without hitting a desperate need in this ongoing state of emergency.
More on EQUIP Activities in Nimba
Total Target in Nimba Population including all Internally Displaced Peoples refugees: 102,000.
EQUIP LIBERIA is in a unique position to assist vulnerable groups in Nimba as our emergency health teams, combined with supplemental feeding outreach centres and Community Health Education teams - with a network of approximately 600 trained and active Community Health Ambassadors (CHA's) - are addressing the critical needs with local resources and volunteer service. They are small and under supplied but very committed. Essential drugs (supplied by IDA) are purchased in small quantities at frequent intervals from Guinea. Care is taken to reduce the exposure to robbery/looting by keeping as little cash, medicines and food as possible on hand at any one time. Foods for the feeding centres are purchased locally as available. The number of malnutrition cases presenting to our centres lately has been on the rise with approximately six new cases of severe malnutrition arriving each day. Each of our supplemental feeding outreach centres is caring for approximately 30 children at any given time. Because of current financial constraints, the number of patients given treatment and the number of malnourished children that can be served is limited.
Activities in Monrovia EQUIP, in partnership with Merlin (who do the curative health) is active in preventative health promotion and caring for severely malnourished amongst IDP's in Monrovia at Masonic temple. EQUIP has begun health training workshops for all health promoters and IDP health teaching volunteers at camps with 30,000 IDP's at Harbel.
WAINES FAMILY: I am missing Audry and my children greatly. They are having lots of Canadian-style adventures, which do not include snakes, AK 47's or tanks. I love to see them thriving in Canada but wish they could all be on the UN Military helicopter with me tomorrow. There will be quite a celebration in Ganta that I wish the whole big family, including you all, could be part of. Thank you for standing with us in prayer and friendship at this time of combat and crisis in Liberia.
Love from David for all the Waines
Behind the Frontlines
EQUIP Emergency Health Care and Supplemental feeding in Nimba County Liberia.
Thanks for your prayers and support they are working!
October 13th 2003 Vaccine success! We have precious vaccines to get to the children of Nimba County. Our Russian MI 8 Helicopter didn't start at 8:45 as planned. Perhaps having been a little too long in Liberia I recommended that we all push and jump-start it. None of the UN soldiers or officers laughed. The technicians spent three hours and lots of fuel trying to get the starters working right. By 1:00 pm, we were on our way to Gbangar. At Gbatala LURD fighters with AK47's (likely stoned) start shooting at our helicopter. The pilot swerved and dove to the right. Cracking of machine gun fire. We were not hit as far as I know. We landed in Gbangar then the general, all of us and the UN military convoy drove 35 km towards Ganta up to the Balia Bridge over the St. John River where Nimba County starts. This was supposed to be the front lines but there has been active fighting today and yesterday LURD has attacked more villages in Nimba. LURD boy soldiers with their huge BZD gun mounted in the back of a pick up want to make a quick retreat when our convoy of UN soldiers arrive at the bridge, comically they have to push start five times before the old Ford pick up fires to life. There is lots of shooting in the air. The UN Force Commander is getting nervous. We hear the gunfire and explosions of active fighting not far from the bridge. On the way back to Gbangar he tells me there is not enough time, not enough fuel not enough security in the area to go to Ganta and drop the vaccines as planned. I plead "General O'Pande I will name my next child after you, PLEASE at least to get the vaccines to the children" He motions that I should say not another word about it he has made up his mind we are not going. I pray hard for the next twenty minutes. Just as the chopper is about to lift off it is announced we will go to Ganta. I cheer - arms in the air. We drop the vaccines quickly but neither Ruth nor Joseph are there. Where are they? The command is to leave the engines going, blades beating, drop the boxes, and get right back up in the air. I have cash for Ruth to care for needy children with. Cash for Joseph to run the health work with. No one to give it to. A jeep arrives, then a pick up. No Ruth. No Joseph. The UN point soldier rushes over and grabs my arm "The commander says if you are not in the chopper now we are lifting off without you!" "I will be there ... in one minute!" Then I see Ruth rushing towards me. I give her a huge hug. pass the money and other gifts, run back and jump on the helicopter. I have to get back to Monrovia to organize more help for this area. We lift off before I get to my seat. Mission accomplished. The General first said no but God changed it to YES.
October 23rd the EQUIP teams resupply 14 Clinics around Nimba: Ganta EQUIP, Ganta Rehab, Flumpa, Karnwee, Saclepea Inland, Saclepea MOH, Bahn, St. Mary's, Saniquellie, Zorgowee, Karnplay, Logouatuo, Vayanglay, and Garplay, With 970 Kg of medicine these14 clinics were resupplied with drugs and medical supplies in the midst of the last war zone in Liberia. All their staff are still there but they had no drugs or vaccines to serve the 350,000 people in Nimba with. The Russian MI26, which carried our supplies, is the largest helicopter in the world. It is called MI26 because it carries 26 tons! There were two pick up trucks full of UN soldiers on board who descended in Saniquellie and then drove down the road towards Monrovia. We reached the clinics with drugs they have desperately needed for months. The cases that have been flooding to the clinics are in very serious condition. Our teams are still the only NGO working in Nimba. General O'Pande says it will be February before UN troops are stationed in Nimba and the road secured. I pray hard for the road to be open much faster than that.
October 25th WE MANAGED TO DRIVE UP THE ROAD FROM MONROVIA TO GANTA AND SACLEPEA! There was no shooting and no harassment. As we rolled into Nimba there was great celebration at every village. Singing and dancing children, women and men emptied the small villages and circled our Land Cruiser. Often they broke into chanting "No more War We want Peace!!" Every town and village along the way gave us this incredible Palm Sunday welcome. The General said not until February - but God said He would open the road TODAY as a channel of rescue for his beloved people cut off and perishing in Nimba County. Praise God. Pray UN Military to deploy in Ganta, Saclepea, and Tappita very soon to help stop the fighting which causes so much misery. If you have no security, you can do nothing else. There is still lots of fear and fighting, looting, raping going on. Only the bravest able-bodied people are in Ganta protecting their homes from looters. The families - women and children are in the bush in small villages and on farms so if any group is coming towards them they will have lots of chance to escape down the paths.
So many malnourished children. The worst amount and severity of cases I have ever seen in my 17 years in Liberia. Suffering mothers, starving children. The number of women who had ribs showing. Many who were supposed to be breast-feeding babies were in need of supplemental feeding themselves. We are increasing the number of malnourished children we are feeding from 120 per day to over 200 per day.
The main streets of Ganta are filled with rubble. Whole buildings are gone. Along the main roads in the center every roof has been burned, every wall has been smashed. Slack jawed frozen eyed (Ex Taylor "Government Militia") fighters with AK47s and Rocket Propelled Grenades swarm the main street as we arrive. The LURD forces, which the militia drove out, put thousands of man-hours of hard work into destroying Ganta. Harley's "Stone House" is gone. One of the hospital buildings and a school building are burned out shells. Miraculously the old stone church is completely intact (minor damage) with piles of explosive remnants lying all around it. Despite the destruction, the mission and Ganta are still very beautiful with most of their buildings still intact.
It was so GREAT to see that Hope Village, the Shelter, Hope Academy the HFTN Training Center, the Children's Farm and our house at the Rehab had not been damaged at all. Even the 11 small houses we had built for the foster families are fine. Miraculously, every singe place we had built had been completely spared from destruction. Thank you God.
We have over 350,000 people to try to care for this month - HELP WANTED. We have funding in hand for someone to manage the project's accounts and reporting. We have funding coming shortly for a medical coordinator of the project. We have need skilled experienced volunteers to help get the work done some funds should be available for this. Please consider coming and joining the EQUIP team in Liberia. Monrovia is very secure you will not need to go to any insecure locations to make a great contribution. Please pray for our work here. If you or anyone you know would be interested in further details about these positions please email me ASAP.
May the love and peace of Christ be with you now and forever.
David for all the Waines (Audry and the children are well settled in to good schools and our home in Richmond BC Canada)
PS. If you would like to support this work a tax receipt will be given. Please make cheques payable to "EQUIP Canada" or EQUIP Inc. (USA) and include a note that it is to support the Waines Frontline Health work in Liberia. Thanks.
Equip Canada
P.O. Box 683,
Duncan BC
V9L 3Y1
EQUIP Inc. (USA)
P.O. Box 1126,
Marion NC
USA 2875
David Waines
Liberian Community Health Ambassadors
davewaines@yahoo.ca
108 West 18th Ave,
Vancouver BC
Canada V5Y 2A5
tel: 604 876 4694
fax: 604 277 1507
mobile: 604 773 1804
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