 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
 |
|||
 |
|||
|
Chair Report | FOL Report | Project Report | Member Activities | Announcements |
|||
|
|
|||
|
On October 16, 2004 I experienced my first Friends of Liberia organizational meeting in Washington, DC. I am happy to report in this newsletter that the organization is alive and well. The people who met that day are dedicated to making this organization a truly effective tool for helping Liberians rebuild “our” war-torn nation. If you are following the news from Liberia through the FOL news service from Verlon Stone at Indiana University (a link to the news service is on the FOL website at www.fol.org), you know that the Transitional Government has just passed its first anniversary. The Transitional Government has announced that it is committed to National Elections in October of 2005. Friends of Liberia hopes to be there to support Liberians at that crucial juncture to the future rebuilding of Liberia. We need to begin to gear up our organization for that activity now. In his Chair Report Frank Ardaiolo reports that because of the increased use of the internet Friends of Liberia from all over the United States are now able to volunteer their time and talent to the workings of this organization. Frank appeals for volunteers for the role of Volunteer Coordinator and Fundraising Coordinator and InterAction DC Coordinator. The organization needs these positions filled, but understand hundreds of small jobs need to be done as well. For example, we need someone to mail out the Holiday Appeal letter. For example, we need someone to write updated text for website pages. For example, we need someone in Washington, DC to represent FOL at an Interaction meeting. Of course, these are getting done now, but if you can help out in these small jobs, someone else can do the coordinating jobs more effectively. Because of circumstances beyond our control we do not have an FOL organization Report in this issue. We plan Financial / Membership / Advocacy Summary Reports with our Holiday Appeal letter and more comprehensive Reports in the Spring E-zine. Friends of Liberia continues to support projects designed to help Liberia rebuild its education system and support peaceful solutions to conflict situations. Our lead article again is an update on FOL’s LEAP project. FOL’s LEAP teams traveled to Liberia in December 2003 for a training program and again in August 2004 to help establish a new Liberian nongovernmental organization (NGO) LEAP (Liberian Educators for Action and Peace). The Friends of Liberia will now advise the new LEAP and assist with fundraising and grant writing. Jane Martin reports on another FOL project: the publication of Liberian Women Peacemakers. This book highlights the efforts of many Liberian women to find a peaceful resolution to the conflicts that so many people have tried to solve by war. Members of Friends of Liberia are working on their own projects. Sharon Tangney reports on the development of Hands Across the Water (HAW), a project to connect American and Liberian schools through email contact and to raise funds to support LEAP. Jim and Lyn Gray are working in Liberia and sent in some observations of a recent Sunday tour of the city of Monrovia. On our Announcements page Elwood Dunn shares his review of Lester S. Hyman’s United States Policy Toward Liberia 1822 To 2003: Unintended Consequences?. Dr. Gary Myers, who spent the last two summers in Monrovia, offers observations on the condition of the Liberian medical system. Frank Ardaiolo reminds us “meaningful gifts” to support FOL projects come from many different sources. As you can see from the variety of contributors to this edition of the Friends of Liberia e-zine, we have begun the communication process that this e-newsletter hopes to foster. We want the communication to be two way: the organization reporting to you and your sharing with the organization. What do you want to know about the activities of your organization? What are you doing in your world that supports the efforts of the Friends of Liberia? What questions or observations do you want to share? How much time, what talents can you offer to the efforts of the Friends of Liberia? Plenty of work needs to be done to gear up for the elections next year and the rebuilding of Liberia in the future. Write to Friends of Liberia, 4300 16th St. NW, Washington DC 20011. Leave a message at 202-545-0139. Email any of the addresses found throughout this e-newsletter. Let us know what you think.
|
|||
|
Bill Faudree
|
|||
