Libby's favourite food...

...is still RICE, even though Noah and Anna (and me) have spent the last couple of years trying to persuade her that French Fries are the best food in the world. Here's a photo of Libby eating, erm, rice! Olly

Musu's stick house

Last Monday, Musu's stick house, which we are in the process of building (with your help) was chopped to the ground by a man with an axe, who was under the impression that he was the land owner. He was arrested and has already had one Magistrates Court hearing to set a date for the next hearing where damages will be discussed. He is now languishing in Monrovia Central Prison (the worst place in the world!) until the case can be closed and he can find the money to pay Musu. Such is Liberian law that he could remain in prison indefinately if he (and his combined friends and family) are unable to find the money demanded by the Court. More later. Olly

Our week at the beach

Our week at the beach was wonderfully cool and wet. It rained nearly every day, with big storms at night and often drizzle all day long, but it didn't stop us from playing on the sand and in the sea. ELWA Campus, where we were staying, is a missionary base which provides electricity and water to its houses from 5am to midnight, so the residents are free from the stresses of generators and well-pumps. We had a very relaxing and cool week. At any other time of year staying there would have been very hot indeed! Olly

Iron Ore Loader

Here are some photos of the Bong Mining Company's iron-ore loader on the Mano River Pier in the Freeport of Monrovia, which we can see from our window. The first photo was taken in 1984 and shows the loader operational. Via a system of converor belts it could pour thousands of tons of iron-ore pellets each hour from the Bong Mines railway trains in waiting bulk carriers.
The second photo shows the same loader in 2006, sixteen years after the loader and the Bong Mines were abandoned due to the war. The converor belts have all been removed, but the loader remains almost intact.
The third photo shows the same loader today. Nearly a year of concentrated daylight metal stripping has taken place, and only the main structure remains. The scrappers use only hacksaws to cut off nuts and bolts holding the structure together, then the steel is tied to sacks of polystyrene and lowered into the sea, where it is floated to shore to be sold. Beyond the pier and to the right, you can see the mast of one of the Freeports 16 sunken ships sticking out of the water. In the far distance is another pier, and the remains of an even larger iron-ore loader awaiting it's fate. Olly

Bye bye (for now)

We're going on holiday today. We're going to spend this weekend at a friends appartment in Monrovia city, followed by 5 days at another friends house by the beach just outside the city, and then back to the appartment next weekend. And guess what - its raining and cold (by Liberian standards). Lets hope its stops raining so we can enjoy our holiday. So no more blog entries until after Sunday 22nd June. Olly

Schools out for...rainy season

Today is the last day of school for the academic year 2007/08. Hurray. The kids are all very tired, because the field service programme for the ship does not allow for half-term holidays, or even an Easter holiday, so their last real break was over Christmas and New Year. The ship's programme also dictates that we stay operational in Africa over the rainy season...so the kids have got 7 weeks off in the middle of rainy season. Last year, their Summer Program (kids club) did a lot of activities in the rain - lets see what this year's programme and weather combine to make. Olly

Ship teachers needed

We are looking for teachers for the 2008-2009 school year and beyond. For more information about our school and how to become part of our team on the Mercy Ship Africa Mercy, please click on www.msa-recruit.com. Teachers for the following positions are still needed for the 2008-2009 school year: Preschool; 2nd Grade; 5th and 6th Grade; High School Maths and High School Social Studies. All crew members on the Africa Mercy are volunteers and pay a monthly crew fee for room and board. If you know any interested teachers, please pass along this information. Thank you, Brian Blackburn, Mercy Ships Academy Chief Administrator. Tel (001) 903-939-7183 or email brian.blackburn@mercyships.org.

The saddest time of year

It's the saddest time of year again, as most of the Academy's teachers are preparing to leave at the end of next week. They have begun taking down all the kids paintings that have been brightening up the corridors for months. Both Anna and Libby's teachers are leaving, so both kids are sad. Olly

Another angry mob?

Shortly after the incident with the cow, I saw a mob running around and shouting (in a most threatening manner), armed with a badly written sign saying "STOP YOUT VIOLENC". I gather they were a mob of youths, but I wasn't sure whether they wanted me to stop them from being violent, or they were campaigning for violence against other youths to be stopped, or they were campaigning for violence by other youths to stop. But whatever they were, they looked like a violent mob of youths. Not the best thought out demonstration, I think. Olly

Angry mob?

It is not uncommon to see an angry mob armed with sticks and machettes chasing a thief through the streets of Monrovia...but today I saw a first - an angry mob chasing a COW! I have no idea what the poor creature had done to upset the mob, but it was covered in cuts and was bleeding from it's nose. I sincerely hope it was rescued before it was cut up into little pieces by the blood-thirsty crowd. Olly

Top Gear

Last night, someone managed to get Top Gear, the BBC TV series, on the ship's satellite TV. I haven't watched it for ages, and I laughed and laughed. It was the funniest thing I have seen in ages, and contained some uniquely British humour and references that I'm sure will fly over the heads of most non-Brits. Photo of the presenters. Olly

Sports Day

This afternoon the ship's Academy had their end of year Sports Day, on the Nepalese Army's parade ground near the ship in the Freeport. The parade ground had it's own covered stands for formal events, so we were able to enjoy the shade and comfort of chairs.
All 48 Academy kids took part, and their parents came too. The event was closely watched by dozens of off-duty Nepalese soldiers, who cheered the kids on and enjoyed the races too.

Photo of Sally winning the mum's race, just like Princes Diana did all those years ago.

Photo of Noah in the egg-and-spoon race with the Nepalese in the background.

Photo of Anna in the rubber-chicken hurdle, running slightly faster than her friend Jelmer. Olly

Bye bye Freeport potholes

Look at this photo. The Chinese are fixing the deadly potholes outside the Freeport. Yippee! Olly

WW2 in Liberia

I understand that during the earlier part of World War Two, Liberia remained neutral even though it traded with the Allies from 1939 until it joined the war in 1944. Liberia remained the Allies main source of rubber (along with Ceylon) throughout the war, and the Freeport of Monrovia was constructed in 1944 to assist in the war effort and improve the export of rubber and iron ore. Behind the port, to this day, remain two large WW2 gun emplacements, that housed large guns that could protect the Freeport. Photo of the Western emplacement. Olly

A real break

This weekend we were totally blessed by staying at our friends Jodie and Paul's apartment whilst they are in the States on holiday. We got to have some great family time playing in the pool in their compound, and just made the most of having space. The kids enjoyed playing with each other for a change, we got to eat what we wanted, when we wanted and sleep in a real bed! Thanks Jodie and Paul x. Photo of the kids jumping in the pool. Sally

Englands Euro 2008 chances?

Believe it or not, I have only just found out that England did not qualify for Euro 2008. I am devastated. Olly

Praise & Prayer points

Praise: God is still keeping us well and safe, with no serious illnesses or accidents. Olly's team of mechanics are working well, and have only a few outstanding faults to rectify at the moment.
Sally has had her job as Speech Therapist confirmed, so with effect from 23rd June she will be seeing patients daily. The kids are currently blessed with a great crowd of friends to play with, both on-ship and off-ship. The rainy season has arrived small small, so the temperature has fallen a bit and it is often quite pleasantly cool. We are also able to enjoy some spectacular electrical storms and torrential downpours, mostly in the evenings. And we rejoice with the people of Bushrod Island, Monrovia, as gradually a new electricity grid is installed.
Prayer: For protection against the violent crime that has engulfed Monrovia and even the beaches. For protection against accidents as we journey around the city. For protection from corrupt police at the many checkpoints around the city. For God's blessing and peace on the bereaved following the football fans stampede that killed 10 Liberians a week ago at the national stadium. Safety for the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. That Liberia will rise again. Olly

IDPs must leave public buildings or be removed

The Liberian government has issued a stern warning to all occupants of public buildings to vacate within three weeks or stand the risk of being removed. Addressing a news conference Wednesday in Monrovia, Information Minister Dr Laurence K Bropleh gave the occupants living in unfinished Ministry of National Defense building and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare building, both in Congo Town, as well as National Housing Authority on Ashmun Street and the True Whig Party's Roye Building up to June 27, 2008 to vacate. He said there would be no grace period for those who will not abide by the ultimatum, as government wants occupants to begin relocating themselves as soon as possible. He noted that the government has decided to take such action because many activities in those public buildings were of criminal nature. Additionally, the Information Minister disclosed that there are allocations for the renovation of public buildings, and as such, it is necessary for occupants to begin relocating to avoid forceful eviction. "We have ordered that every activity in those buildings especially the unfinished NHA building must cease with immediate effect,"Dr.Bropleh warned. The Chief spokesman of government indicated that everything has been put in place to ensure that a 24-hour security is provided to avoid trespassing. The government's decision to clear public buildings comes in the wake of a recent fire incident at the unfinished National Housing Authority Building which left the basement of the building burnt down, and thousands of dollars worth of properties destroyed. allafrica.com
There are still thousands and thousands of Internally Displaced People living in these buildings. Its a shame to throw them out just as the rainy season is starting, when the buildings will no doubt remain empty for many months to follow. Photo of IDPs living in the new Ministry of Health and Social Welfare building in Congo Town, which Sally used to jog past in the early morning when we lived down the road. She said that every morning dozens of men would stand on the edge of the balconies and urinate over the edge, in full view of passers-by. Huh. Olly

Bong Iron Ore Range Out for US $1.6 Billion Bid

Four international mining companies have expressed interest in operating the Bong Range iron ore deposit, formerly Bong Mines, the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy has disclosed. Last week, the Ministry opened the sealed bids for the exploration of the Bong Range iron ore deposit with four bidders contesting: Vandanta Resources PLC from India; China Union Investment Ltd; a Liberian company, Beleh Resources Company Liberia Ltd, and an Israeli Firm, BSG Resources. The Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy, Dr Eugene Shannon, said the investment into the Bong Range is estimated at US$1.6 billion. "We are responding to the economic pillar where we continue to bring in more resources to reverse the migration pattern as well as resolve the crisis of migration from rural to urban areas. Monrovia now accommodates 1.6 million people but was made for 360,000. To have these people go back, we have to create centers for economic activities". allafrica.com
This is interesting news for the many hundreds of crew and ex-crew who have enjoyed trips up the railway to visit the abandoned and looted Bong Mines and risk their lives swimming with the bugs in the crystal clear lake...Olly

8 people die at Liberia -v- The Gambia football match

At least eight people died at a football match between Liberia and The Gambia last night, when a metal bar gave way and fans on one tier of a stadium fell on spectators seated in the tier below, a doctor and a rescue worker said. The 33,000-seat Samuel K. Doe Stadium in Monrovia was packed beyond capacity for the game, a qualifying match for the World Cup. Part of the crowd pushed up against the metal bar, causing it to snap. That sent dozens of people plunging to the floor below, witnesses said. The New York Times.
The match finished one-all. We were heading out to celebrate a friend's birthday in town whilst the stadium was emptying. The main road was lined with thousands of cheering fans who were waiting for the Liberian team to drive through the city. All the vehicles coming from the stadium were seriously overloaded, with cheering fans hanging off the sides, sitting on the roof, even sitting on the trunk! I am absolutely amazed that more people didn't die. Olly

Fraudulent elections

The Republic of Liberia holds the world record for twice holding the most fraudulent elections in history, first in 1927 when President King was "elected", and again in 1985 when Presient Doe was "elected". Olly

More funny photos of Libby

Our friend Cheryl sent us these photos she took last year of Libby. Thanks Cheryl. Olly

The President's website

Do you want to keep abreast with what the President of Liberia is up to? You do? Then go to http://www.emansion.gov.lr/. Olly

Book review

I'm reading a book called "A Nation in Terror" by James Youboty. Its an incredible book about Liberia's bloody and senseless civil war, and the years leading up to it. A must-read for anyone interested in Liberia's history. ISBN: 1-57087-112-4. Olly

Cleft kids

Often, we see children (or adults) with big white whiskers walking around the ship. They are our cleft-lip patients, who have just had reconstructive surgery to repair their clefts. I am constantly amazed that their faces don't require more bandages and dressings after such a big operation. They usually stay on the ship for only a couple of days after their surgery before returning home. Olly

Charcoal train

With no electricity or cooking gas in most of Monrovia, the majority of the population cook on charcoal fires, which are not unpleasant and give off very little smoke. The charcoal supply trade is massive, and each day many trucks and the Bong Mines Train (the only working train in Liberia) bring big sacks of charcoal into the city, for sale for $3 each. Then an army of hundreds of ladies, all over the city, split the big sacks up into little bags, for retail to the population. Photo of the Bong Mines train loaded high with charcoal, whilst ladies stand by waiting for it to be unloaded. Olly

Jesus film

Three nights a week, a team from the ship takes The Jesus Film out, with local pastors and translators, to show in unreached or neglected communities. The film is projected out of the back of a Land Rover onto a specially build screen which hangs off the roofrack. Tens of thousands of people have given their lives to Christ over the years through this form of outreach. Click on photo to enlarge. Olly

Funny Libby

Libby keeps us amused by pulling many different kinds of funny faces. Her latest trick is going cross-eyed, which is hilarious, although she looks too much like one of the ship's eye patients...Olly

Bath time

There are no bath-tubs on the Africa Mercy, only showers. So every few months our children have a bath (whether they need it or not). Here, Libby is having hers in a plastic box. Olly

Rice Crises - more support coming from China

On a one-day stopover in Beijing, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, en route to Japan, has secured additional Chinese support to combat the global increases in food prices. During discussions Sunday with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Zhang Yesui, President Johnson Sirleaf was informed that China will provide fertilizers, pesticides and seeds by July this year to help Liberia in its agriculture program. In addition, Mr. Zhang said Chinese agricultural experts will be sent to Liberia during the dry season to help teach Liberian farmers modern farming methods. As part of the short-term measures to avert the possible effects of a cutback in rice exports, the Chinese Foreign Ministry official said his Government has instructed the China Oil and Food Corporation to work with Liberia in helping the country secure more stockpiles of rice, says an Executive Mansion dispatch from Beijing. allafrica.com

Ex-Liberian Soldiers Storm Capitol Building

A group of former ex-Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers under the banner of "Unconstitutional Dissolved Armed Forces of Liberia" (UDAFOL) yesterday besieged the Capitol Building, the seat of the National Legislature demanding the immediate impeachment of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The ex-soldiers numbering a little over three hundred men and women staged a peaceful march with a petition in which they called on the lawmakers to impeach the Liberian leader for what they called breach of the Liberian Constitution, in which the soldiers demanded that the lawmakers begin impeachment proceedings against President Johnson-Sirleaf for treason in accordance with Article 62 and 76a (5) respectively for violation of the Constitution of Liberia as regarding the AFL as the constitution provides. The group of soldiers who were escorted to the Capitol Building by officers of the Liberia National Police and UNMIL Police to register their concern reiterated their demand to some of the lawmakers who gathered to meet them. allafrica.com
I was there! I got stuck in the traffic jam on Monday caused by the protesters and riot police. The top gates of the Capital building were heavily guarded by Riot Police and UN soldiers, but the gates lower down the hill were completely unguarded and open - no wonder they were able to beseige the seat of government. Olly

More current coming

Today I toured what remains of the Bushrod Island Power Station, which until 1997 provided power to most of Liberia during the dry season (whilst the hydro-electric plant produced power in the rainy season). Little remains of the original engines or generators, but it was encouraging to see the installation of two 1.25 megawatt containerised generators which have recently been provided by Norway. Winston, my guide and employee of LEC of 14 years, told me that American funding was putting up power lines from Bong Mines Bridge to St Pauls River Bridge, and EU funding will shortly be doing the same to the New Bridge, so all of Bushrod Island will have access to electricity soon. Meanwhile, LEC is installing five more big containerised generators to supply current to the city and as far out as Payneville, which is extremely encouraging. Olly

Wiwi's new dress

Today we saw Musu's grandaughter, Wiwi, wearing one of Anna's old dresses. Photos of Wiwi (3), Liberia, 25th of May 2008, and Anna (4) South Africa, 7th of September 2005. Olly

Musu's stick house

Musu's stick house is slowly being constructed. There have been a few recent delays - some of the mats that make up the walls were stolen by neighbours last week, and Musu also decided to knock down the original structure and rebuilt it a little larger...so this will soon be her home, probably for the rest of her life. By Thursday (4 days from now) it will have a concrete floor, a corrugated iron roof, mat and tarpaulin walls, and windows and doors, and Musu and her family will have taken up residence. I hope. Olly

The last working traffic lights in Liberia

At many busy road junctions in Monrovia, there are the remains of traffic lights. In fact there is a neighbourhood actually called "Red Light", named after the traffic light that used to be there. But there is only one set of working lights in the whole of Monrovia (probably the whole of Liberia), pictured, which is located outside the Freeport gates. I'm not sure if the Port Authority or neighbouring City Builders provide electricity and maitenance. But I hate these light! Traffic flows so much better without them! Olly

Liberian Power Station

Here is a photo of a rare facility in Monrovia: a power station. Many homes and businesses get their electricity from this one in Randall Street. It simply consists of three or four medium sized generators which can supply its clients with a very limited amount of current. The air around it is thick with greasy black diesel fumes, and the skies around it are full of thin wires carrying current to customers, some of which are so low that trucks driving down the road often become entangled. The Liberian economy still relies on privately owned generators like this, but the Liberian Electricity Company is slowly installing power grids to small sections of the city which can provide more reliable and greater quantities of power via their huge generators. And the LEC grids are providing street lighting too. Olly

Movie Star!

This afternoon Libby became a movie star. She and her little Ghanaian friend Daniel were filmed saying "thank you for coming" into the camera. The footage will be used by the Swiss office in their promotional material. Olly

Crocs

Crocs are fantastic shoes when you live on a Mercy Ship in Liberia. They fit all the ship's health and safety requirements about having heels and closed toes. And they are great for wearing off-ship too, especially in the rainy season and at the beach. Trouble is, we can't find steel-toed Crocs anywhere. Olly

Going bald?

I'm sure that you are as shocked as I am at this photo of the top of my head. Can you see the receding hairline and the thinning hair? I'll be as bald as a coot by the time I return to the UK. Olly

Scrap dealers intensify campaign against illegal scrappers

A campaign launched by the Liberian Scrap Association to cortail illegal scrapping in the country has intensified with the association arresting several illegal scrappers in the country. Information available shows that some dishonest individuals have been in the habits of scrapping the manholes and other facilities in the country and these evil minded individuals have been caught by the association task force committee. A comprehensive investigation on the operation of the Liberian scrap industry and the imminent ban that the Government of Liberia intends to impose on the association has revealed that over 25,000 Liberians may likely be affected and subsequently put out of job if the ban is imposed. According to a recent survey there are over 2,000 Liberians who are regularly employed with the scrap association and another 15,000 who are casual workers with the association. allafrica.com

Sally's stalker

Sally has got a Liberian phone stalker. He first phone call woke us up at 12.40 am three nights ago, and he has since phoned about 30 times all through the day and night. Sally has saved the two phone numbers he uses as "Nightcaller" and "Idiot 2" so we know when he calls. This morning I had a nice chat with him, although I didn't understand him and he didn't understand me, but I enjoyed using up his phone credits. He's not phoned back since. Maybe that's the end of a beautiful relationship...Olly

Our new website address

We've changed our website address to a more snappy and memorable one, so you can now access these pages via www.peetfamily.org.uk. We hope this improves your ease of access. Olly

New container yard for Monrovia

From our cabin window (see photo) we can see the daily efforts of a team of bulldozers as they scrape out a huge new container terminal in Monrovia's Freeport, which will double the current capacity. Yesterday one of the workers told me that a contract had been awarded to a private company for the port's container handling, and furthermore the yard was going to be made of concrete,which is a massive and very expensive undertaking. This is a good step forward to improving the facilities to secure the "gateway" to the Liberian economy. Olly

Latest infant mortality rates

I heard a Ministry of Health spokesman on UNMIL radio yesterday saying that the mortality rate amongst children under 1 year old in Liberia has fallen from 117 per thousand to 73 per thousand since the new Government came into power in 2006. Good job, President Johnson Sirleaf and her team. May that trend continue. Olly

Blue Atlantic update

Over five months after she was seized by the French navy after being caught as sea smuggling $500 million worth of cocaine, the Blue Atlantic is still moored across the dock from us. Initially she was guarded by armed Nigerian and Nepalese soldiers, but now the disinterested Liberia National Police have taken over. Today, my good mate Josh and I had a guided tour of the ship courtesy of the LNP, and got to savour the delightful smell of rotting food and stinking freezers, five months after the generators were turned off. We saw plenty of cockroaches and even mice. It was quite eerie walking through the ransacked ghost ship, which is still in the condition that the French navy left it in after ripping it apart in their search for more drugs. Olly

Garbage skips in Monrovia

Hundreds of big yellow garbage slips have recently been deployed at nearly every street corner in Monrovia by an unknown NGO, which has several skip trucks which spend all day driving backwards and forward emptying them. Good job. We really appreciate the difference. Thank you, whoever you are, dear NGO. Olly

American Idol finals

This evening we watched the final of American Idol in our cabin. Anna cried herself to sleep because David Archuleta didn't win. You see, we are still perfectly sane and can still lead a resemblance of a normal life after nearly four years of living on a ship in Africa, honest. Photo of David Archuleta (left) and the winner, David Cook (right). Olly

Whoops

On Monday the driver of one of our Land Rovers left the road whilst swerving to avoid a little boy who ran out into his path. The Land Rover ended up on its side down an embankment, having first ploughed through several road signs causing extensive damage as per attached photo. Fortunately neither the driver or the boy were injured, and the damage to the Land Rover can be fixed. Olly

Francis

Francis is a brilliant young Liberian auto-electrician who I use every week to repair electrical faults on our older Land Rovers. His method of work is quite different from any other auto-electrician I have seen before - he actually climbs barefoot under the hood and squats over the engine or the battery compartment to do his work. He has no tools of his own, but he achieves great things. He must have a natural ability to find broken wires or blown fuses that would take anyone else hours to find. Despite his skill, due to the years of war in Liberia, he is completely illiterate and even struggles to sign his own name on receipts. Olly

Ex-Interim President Gyude Bryant's trial

Gyude Bryant, Liberia's former interim president, who is already facing corruption charges, was accused on Saturday of embezzling funds from the national oil company. According to the charge sheet, Bryant and four co-accused are alleged to have stolen $958,000 from Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company between March 2004 and January 2006. All five men have been released on bail, their lawyers said. Bryant was previously charged in February 2007 for allegedly taking one million dollars in bribes when he was interim president from October 2003 to January 2006, when Liberia was emerging from 14 years of civil war. Long suspended, his trial was resumed after the supreme court ruled that Bryant - who has denied the allegation - was ineligible for immunity as a former head of state, as he had been appointed under the Accra peace accord rather than the constitution. somalianet.com

Ex-President Charles Taylor's trial

Charles Taylor's former vice president and successor, Moses Blah, has testified that he never saw Taylor engage in cannibalism or heard him order his fighters to eat their slain enemies. In testimony at Taylor's war crimes trial, Blah refused to rule out, however, that Taylor ate human flesh or ordered his troops to do so. In March, a witness told the Special Court for Sierra Leone that Taylor ordered fighters in his National Patriotic Front of Liberia to eat their enemies as a way of striking terror into his opponents. Joseph Marzah, who described himself as Taylor's chief of operations and head of a death squad before Taylor became president, said African peacekeepers and even United Nations personnel were killed and eaten on the battlefield by Taylor's militiamen. He also said he had sat with Taylor as he ate a human liver. Blah, who said his own cousin was killed and cannibalised in 1985 by forces loyal to former Liberian dictator Samuel Doe, told judges that he had "never heard such an order from Mr Taylor" but he could not vouch for every second of Taylor's time. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to murder, rape, torture and enlisting child soldiers during Sierra Leone's 10-year civil war, which ended in 2002. He is accused of pulling the rebels' strings from his headquarters in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. The Press Assocation.
I met Moses Blah at his house in Coco Cola Community, outside Monrovia in 2006. Jolly nice chap actually. He wanted Mercy ships to dig a well for him in his back garden. Olly

A word from Anna

(At Wulki Farms) The chimps were cute. But I didn't want to hold them because they were a bit scary. Anna

2009

Last week we heard that the Africa Mercy will be spending its 2009 Field Service in French speaking Benin, which will be our family's second visit to that country - we were there with the Anastasis from November 2004 to March 2005. Liberia has so much been a part of us for the last four years that it will be a massive wrench finally leaving in December, but I have just heard about a Liberian refugee camp not far from where we will be docked in the port in Benin, where we hope to continue working with Liberians in 2009. So our blogspot will have to be re-named "The Peet Family formerly in Liberia, now in Benin" or something like that. Olly

Wulki Farm

Today we left the big city and drove out past the incredible Omega Tower (the highest man-made structure in Africa) into the beautiful Liberian countryside to visit Wulki Farms, owned by Benoni Urey. The farm is the nearest and only thing in Liberia anything like a zoo - with ponies and donkies, chimps (which were desperate to be held), rabbits, ostriches and crocodiles. The highlight of the day was seeing piglets being born. Libby was absolutely terrified of every animal and bird, no matter how large or small, and refused to come out of the car with the exception of when we got to the crocodile pens, which she said were "my fav'rite ones". A great day out, and a lovely chance to enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. Photo of Sally and a chimp. Olly

Stolen manhole covers

Over the weekend, several manhole covers have been stolen from the main highway outside the Port, leaving 6 foot deep potholes for traffic to negotiate (which is not easy in the dark at high speed). Steeling manhole covers is an unfortunate by-product of extreme poverty. When they are eventually replaced, the new covers will be welded down to prevent their theft, which in turn makes it impossible to gain access to the sewer system...Olly

Aunty Barbara

A week ago, my father's 71 year old sister had a massive stroke and died in hospital in York. This sad event has increased our feeling of isolation from our families in the UK, and I am very sad to be missing the funeral tomorrow afternoon. Sally and I have both been very shaken by her death and feel very vulnerable right now. We are praying that God will restore our strength and focus quickly. Olly

Remember Musu?

Do you remember Musu? She is the lovely Liberian lady who used to help Sally cook and clean and look after the kids when we lived ashore in Liberia. She is 67, and has been a widow for nearly 30 years. She has given birth to 12 children, but only 5 remain alive today - the others have died of disease or were killed in the war. She lives in a one-bedroom mud-block house, 13 feet deep by 20 feet wide with her extended family of 11, with no toilet, running water, or electricity. At the end of this month she is being evicted from the house by the owner, who wants to live in it himself, so we are helping her to build her own house on some land she already owns. She has already paid for the construction of a frame out of sticks. Sally and I agreed today that we will pay for the corrugated steel roof, tarpaulin walls and cement floor. Once she is settled, we will encourage her family to make mud-blocks to build proper walls and a latrine, which can eventually be rendered with cement to make waterproof. After 18 years without her own toilet (and using the bush), we hope she will have one by the time we leave Liberia in December. The whole undertaking will cost about $800 (£400), and is by far the biggest undertaking we have committed to so far. Can you help? Olly.

Public transport gets worse

The battered yellow taxi is the most common form of public transport here in Monrovia. The whole economy revolves around taxis, since so few people have their own cars. Many people leave their homes at 5am just to make sure they can catch a taxi in the morning before the rush hour begins, when it can often take more than an hour to catch a taxi. And every evening I see people fighting others to get seats for the journey home. Traditionally, two passengers sit on the front passenger seat, and four sit across the back, but earlier this week the Liberian National Police decided that only one passenger should sit in the front (which I admit makes good road safety sense). But this means that the number of seats available in the public transport system has been reduced overnight by 16%, which means even earlier starts and longer delays and more fights for the public seeking transportation. And it is now even harder for much needed fresh produce to be bought to the market from the countryside, and the price of fresh produce in town has already gone up to reflect this. In the long term, the economy will suffer even more, and the city's children will continue to go hungry. Olly

Liberia's Olympic Team

Is it true that all the members of the Liberian Olympic Team live in the USA? Olly

Mayor or monkey, the exodus begins

I got an email today from an old friend: "Following the election of a monkey as Mayor of London, I have moved out of the capital...so nothing more to do with monkey land. Sorry, I meant London". Welcome Borris Johnson, Mayor of London! Olly

No more wunny baddits

Libby is growing up quickly. She now says bunny rabbits instead of wunny baddits, which is a shame. Olly

Maintaining sanity

Our latest attempt to remain sane involves watching American Idol on Thursday evenings on satellite TV. It seems, however, that God isn't allowing us to escape from the reality of Africa tonight, for the program is raising money for AIDS orphans here in Africa and the screen is full of images that we are all too familier with from first hand experience. Anna got quite upset watching the clips of berieved children until we reminded her that she is only a few hundred yards from children dying of AIDS, malaria and malnutrition, right here in Liberia, and we are doing all we can to help them. The program featured a commercial for Charity: Water, a charity run by our old Anastasis friend and crew-mate Scott Harrison, and finished with the American Idol contestents singing the Christian song "Shout to the Lord". Weird. Olly

Mary

Remember 16 year old Mary? She had surgery to unlocked her jaw nearly a year ago. It was her second surgery to unlock it - the previous surgery failed because she didn't do her exercises. And guess what - nearly a year on, the jaw is beginning to lock again, because she's not doing her exercises. We just had dinner with her, and she was trying to push her fish and chips through a very small opening indeed. Sally is trying to explain to her right now, as they bake Banana Bread together in the Crew Galley, what she must do to avoid her third surgery when the ship eventually returns to Liberia...Olly

30th April - Queens Day

Today we celebrated Queens Day with our Dutch crew mates. They all wore Orange, and painted the Dutch flag on their faces. They had a fair on the ship, where they sold cookies and bits and pieces, and off the ship they played weird (but traditional) Dutch games like Trouser Hanging and Land Rover Pulling (?). It was all very good fun, and it was great to watch ten little girls (including Anna and Libby) pulling a Land Rover the length of the dock. Olly

Caustic Soda Injuries

Dozens of children in West Africa accidentally drink from soft-drink bottles, not knowing that the contents are Caustic Soda (which is often used in the production of soap at home). The injuries they sustain often lead to a long and painful death. If they survive the immediate injury, they are unable to eat, and they survive by drinking milk or having a feeding tube installed, but remain very sick and undernourished. In recent years, several of these children have travelled to Europe or the USA, where they have undergone successful surgery to re-line the oesophagus with stomach lining. They change from living skeletons to normal children in a matter of months, and can eventually learn how to eat again. Praise God. Please pray for the Caustic Ingestion children of West Africa, especially Liberia. Olly

Garpo

Today we gave 5 year old Garpo and his aunt a ride into town. He'd been on the ship for plastic surgery to one of his feet, which had been badly burnt in a cooking accident some time ago, and is now heavily bandaged. He can walk with the aid of crutches, but today the poor little chap had no shoe for his other foot, and his aunt expected him to walk a long way on very hot roads, bare foot. So as he climbed out of our car to catch a taxi to his neighbourhood, Sally gave him Libby's flip-flops. It was the least we could do. Libby wasn't too happy about it, but we've promised to buy her some replacements soon, and she got to spend the rest of the afternoon being carried around on my back, which she was very happy about. Garpo will come back to the ship on Tuesday to have his dressings changed and see how his foot is healing. We hope to see him again then. Olly

The Freeport - three years on.

Three years ago, I took an almost identical photo of this one, only it showed the Mercy Ship Anastasis instead of the Africa Mercy. The port still remains unchanged since the war finished: the dock is still damaged from a mortar bomb explosion; the capsized Torm Alexandra still restricts commercial ship movements, and the warehouses are still dilapidated and leaking. And sadly, the port has been deserted for most of this last week. There has not been one commercial ship here for days. How can an economy hope to recover if it's "gateway" remains in such a condition? Click on photo to enlarge. Olly

Torm Alexandra update

The Torm Alexandra is actually floating! She remains at a crazy angle, with her aft submerged and her bow out of the water, but only her rudder is sitting in the mud. She is now moored loosely to bollards for when she actually floats free of her muddy resting place. The salvage team reckon she will be floating fully on Monday coming (but I remain less positive). Photo of the ship's forward mooring lines. Olly

Rice Crises Update: Liberian Government Links Rising Food Prices to Conflict Risk

A surge in rice prices in 1979 contributed to Liberia's descent into chaos, sparking riots and a political crisis that led to the coup that brought Samuel Doe to power. Now the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has identified Liberia as one of 37 countries facing a hunger crisis as a result of food price hikes. In the meantime, the Government of Liberia says it will tackle the escalating food crisis by securing access to commercial imports and appealing for international food aid. Opposition parties are also calling on the government to reduce the government tax on rice, currently US$2 per bag. A 50kg bag of rice that will feed a family of seven for two weeks currently costs US$34 - the average monthly salary for a security guard in Monrovia. The cost of a plate of traditional spicy dishes such as jollof rice at traditional restaurants has shot up to around US$2. People are increasingly turning to alternative staple foods such as cassava, yam, plantain and even imported spaghetti to lessen the impact on threadbare pockets.People say they are becoming increasingly worried that food price hikes could lead to instability and slow Liberia's progress. Aid agencies working in Monrovia say malnutrition rates are increasing. As poverty thresholds change, families are spending less on medical treatment, housing and education. "The guns are no longer firing in Liberia, but economic hardship is killing the citizens," said Spencer Page, a taxi driver. allafrica.com

Rice is life

Rice is the staple food of Liberians, who tend to eat only one main meal a day which consists of a massive bowl of rice with "soup" which contains the protein and oils. Rice is currently about $26 US dollars a sack, but is rumoured to be doubling in price when the next shipment arrives, which will make it impossible for most families to purchase (thats more than most families earn in a month). Currently 18% of Monrovian children are seriously malnourished, and if the rumour of the price increase of rice is true, many more will join them and the emergency feeding programs will have to re-open. Olly

Fatu

Here is a photo of Sally's 11 year old patient Fatu with her mum. She was born with a cleft palate, but her lip was OK. She is making wonderful progress after her operation and speech therapy, and when her aunties heard her improved speech this week they danced for joy. Olly

Another dead guy

Yesterday evening at dusk there was a lot of commotion on a beach inside the port. There was a large crowd, some UN Police, some Liberian Police, and three of the Port's divers who kept on climbing in and out of one of the half-submerged wrecks looking for something. Sure enough, at dawn this morning we could see the body of a drowned man lying on the beach - he had obviously been pulled out of the wreck last night and dragged to the beach. The body was removed after a few hours without ceremony. Olly

Pool open

When we lived ashore in Liberia we ordered a pool from th USA, which was shipped to us and arrived after we'd moved onto the Africa Mercy. So we donated the pool to the ship...and today it was opened to the families, before being opened to the rest of the crew tomorrow. The kids had a lovely hour, splashing and shouting in the chilly water (it still hasn't had time to warm up yet). Photo of Sally trying to look warm. Olly

Ban Ki-Moon

Tomorrow, Ban Ki-Moon of the Republic of Korea, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, will be in Monrovia visiting his Special Representative and other UN leaders here, and Liberian leaders. Security is extremely tight, and for the first time in a long time today we had UN helicopter gun-ships flying over the city, just to let the Monrovians know of their presence. Olly

Odecious

Odecious is one of our Liberian drivers. He is a great guy and always full of humour and laughter. He works as many hours as possible to earn money to feed his extended family and to save up to buy a new engine for his taxi, which will become his only source of income once the ship leaves Liberia in December. Last Saturday his mobile phone fell out of his pocket and smashed. It will cost him two weeks wages to replace it, and a days wages just to buy a scratch-card for the new one. So sad. Olly

Nutritional "crises" in Monrovia

Moderate hunger has been endemic in the Liberian capital for years, but as the effects of soaring global food and fuel prices have doubled rice prices, the aid agency Action Against Hunger says thousands of city children are increasingly at risk of acute malnutrition. A February 2008 survey showed "extremely disturbing" results that indicated a "significant nutritional crisis" in the Liberian capital. ACF says 17.6 percent of city children weighed by its nutritionists are suffering from acute malnutrition. These figures surpass the 15 percent World Health Organization threshold that defines a nutritional crisis, ACF says, citing lack of health facilities, difficulties of access for the poor and deplorable states of hygiene and sanitation in many areas as contributing factors. Rising food prices are exacerbating the situation, estimating that Liberia is likely to be hit harder than its West African neighbours by rising global prices for rice and grains. The country imports 90 percent of its rice - the national staple - and in the last year, the price of a bag of rice has almost doubled. allafrica.com

Momo

Amadu Zwannah is an old friend of mine, who runs a back-street garage and paint shop in Clara Town, just across the bridge from downtown Monrovia. Together we have decided to run an auto-mechanic apprenticeship scheme for young Liberians – they will come to the ship after school for a couple of hours each day to learn auto mechanic skills, and continue their education from Zwannah when the ship leaves in late 2008. Our first apprentice is 16 year old Momo, and it is great watching him learn about servicing and repairing our Land Rovers and seeing his skills developing and his knowledge growing. I hope it will be of benefit to him in the future. Olly

Monrovia's suburbs

Some of the neighbourhoods surrounding Monrovia have brilliant names. Red Light, Battery Factory, Chicken Soup Factory, Coca-Cola Community, Smell-No Taste, Day Break Mouth Open and Chocolate City are just some of them. (Imagine living in Chocolate City...how very cool). Olly

Torm Alexandra update

The capsized ship Torm Alexandra is still not floating, but in the last day the salvage team has started pumping again, her bow has risen even further out of the water, her stern has sunk further into the water, and she now lists slightly to starboard. I really think something will happen in the next few days! (Have I been saying that for the last ten months?) Olly

Fatu

Sally's latest patient for Speech & Language Therapy is 11 year old Fatu from ELWA, who recently had surgery for a cleft palate. Until last week she was unable to pronounce consonants and her speech was unintelligible, but due to the exercises she has been working on with Sally in the last week or two, she is able to pronounce "p","b","d","t","d","k","g", "m" and "s". She is now a lot closer to being understood than before. She has a long way still to go, but is working very hard, and Sally is very pleased with her progress. Olly

P.E.

Have you ever wondered where Mercy Ship kids have their PE lessons? Here in Liberia they walk to the UN Fields at the end of the dock, which are probably the most secure playing fields in the world, where they play under the watchful eye of Nigerian and Nepalese soldiers surrounded by armoured cars and trucks. And the kids take it all for granted. The same fields are used in the evenings by crew playing frisbee and volleyball, and sometimes the Nepalese soldiers join in. Click on photo to enlarge (to see Anna on the right). Olly

Ceilidh time again

Last Saturday night we had another Ceilidh (Scottish dance) upon the dock. The highlight was real bagpipes played by Peter from Scotland - and he let me have a go. Despite trying to learn them for a year back in 1995, I couldn't get any sound out of them without wanting to fall over from lack of air...Olly

Our old house

We heard today from some guys that are staying in our old house (here in Monrovia) that a night-club has opened up next door which blasts out music until 5am. It is so loud that they need to sleep with ear-plugs. Praise the Lord that we don't live there any more. We are so sorry for John and Melinda and their guests. Olly

Joseph

This is Joseph, one of Sally's Speech & Language Therapy patients. He has had a cleft palate repair, and is now coming to Sally for therapy weekly, which is a huge commitment for a Liberian. He is making great progress and is now able to use his lips in his speech for the first time ever (he can now pronounce "Paynesville" where he comes from, and his last name). Sally is very proud of him, and he is very proud of himself. Olly

Amunckin update

Baby Amunckin is recovering well from his surgery. As you can tell from this photo taken by Sally two days ago, his post-operative swelling has gone down and he is looking great. He will need more surgeries which will most likely be done in the USA and not on the Mercy Ship, but in the meantime his is no longer at risk of catching infections through his gaping palate and is back with his Liberian foster family. And he can now use a bottle for feeding! Olly