We celebrated the Fourth of July with a quiet morning before heading to the University of Liberia, where Gina spoke to a class of agriculture students. After that, we headed back into the main area of Monrovia to do some more souvenir shopping. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant on the beach. After going back to the guest house, we had a long debriefing period, where everyone shared about their experiences. It was a great time to hear everyone’s thoughts about the trip.
“The streets are just lined with people holding things to buy. It’s incredibly sad. I don’t know how they manage to scratch out a living. There’s no knowledge of business or marketing. Food is sold as soon as possible or eaten because there is no way to preserve it.”
It was eye-opening to see how the Liberian people had to survive. I would see people selling things on the side of the road that just baffled me. Kids were walking around holding wads of rubber-bands and bundles of scarves. People just stood by the side of the road, hoping someone would just happen to need what they were selling. Of course, that person would also have to choose to buy it from one of multiple people selling the same things.
That’s why Gina’s presentation at the college, and Hope in the Harvest’s work in Ganta, is so important. Because of the civil war, an entire generation was essentially lost and many others left the country for safety. A lot of knowledge has been lost, and rebuilding that is so important.
Kate G. Jameson 