Victorious Faith Refuge Home

Home of the Esther’s Hope Children

In the spring of 2005, with the help of Victorious Faith Ministries in Algoma, WI, Pastor Andrew Gombay established the Victorious Faith Refuge Home in Monrovia, Liberia.

Compelled by the heartbreaking conditions of war orphans and the growing number of abandoned children, Pastor Andrew built a two-room building adjoined to his church to house them.  In early 2006, through a grant provided by World Orphans of Colorado, they purchased their present small, two-bedroom home off Garnarville Road in Monrovia.  It doesn’t look like much, compared to our standards, but by Liberia standards, it’s pretty impressive.

With the help of Esther’s Hope sponsors and a few other resourceful people, conditions at the refuge home are steadily improving. The Refuge Home houses up to 30 children; two thirds of them boys.  Conditions are slowly improving but for the time being, one small room is shared by all the girls and another equally small room room is shared by all the boys.

Each of these rooms had one small window each.  Those windows were enlarged for better ventilation and light.  The front porch has been enclosed to provide more sleeping area. The last time we visited Liberia, we noticed the Refuge Home had no beds.  Twenty-six children and their caregivers made due with four thin mattresses that were laid on the floor.   Before we left, we purchased another four mattresses.  As part of the improvement process, and with the help of another group from Maine who learned about the Refuge home, bunk beds were built and installed.

The kitchen was an open, crudely covered back porch where meals were cooked over wood or charcoal fires.  The back porch was improved and enclosed to better facilitate cooking and dining. When it comes to the food the children eat, the menu always consists of rice (or bulgur wheat when rice can not be afforded), and sometimes split peas, cassava and potato greens.  Providing plentiful, nutritious food is a top priority for for the use of sponsorship funds.

The Refuge Home actually has bathroom facilities (a rare luxury in post-war Liberia) but there’s nothing luxurious about it.  The original bathroom consisted of a small, windowless room with two holes over a six foot pit.  This is another area where improvements have been made.  Actual modern porcelain toilets were installed.  However, there’s no running water, so flushing is a manual process using buckets of water.

A lingering consequence of the recent civil war was total destruction of the county’s infrastructure. There is no utility-supplied electricity in Liberia.  The Refuge home operated at night by candlelight.  We were able to provide them with a small generator that can be used to power a few light bulbs in the evenings.

There is little else in the refuge home beside a couple benches and chairs and very few toys.  Even with renovations, there’s not much room so, except when sleeping or eating, the children spend little time indoors.

There was a well located at the back corner of the building, next to the kitchen, but it had collapsed and was no longer usable.  After its collapse, the well at the church and Pastor Andrew’s house (1/4 mile away) used to supply water for the Refuge Home.  Neither the water from the collapsed well or the well at the church was fit for drinking.  They mainly use the well water for bathing, cleaning and cooking after it was filtered through a polypropylene bag of sand; a common practice in Liberia.

Any drinking water needed for the children or staff had to be purchased.  Thankfully, that has been remedied. Since our last visit (January, 2007) a new well has been professionally dug in front of the home and sealed.   A hand pump and filtration system has be been installed.  This will provide all the water needs of the home, including drinking water.  The Refuge home no longer has to buy drinking water, and may actually be able to sell some of its surplus.

On school days, the children walk a quarter mile to the VFM church compound where a school has been established.  Pastor Andrew’s wife, Swenah, is the school administrator.  Pastor Andrew serves as the principal and teaches some classes.  Most classes are taught by teachers who have been hired.  A good portion of the schools operating budget comes from tution paid by students from the surrounding community who have been enrolled by their parents.  Improvements are being made to the classrooms.  The rooms have been freshly painted with bright colors, shelving and desks have been added, many books and teaching materials have been added.

Though many improvements and some expansion to the home (and school) have occurred since our involvement with Esther’s Hope, we’ve only just scratched the surface, especially when you consider how many children live there. We’re thankful the children have a home (many don’t) and for the modest improvements, but more needs to be done.

Check out the latest news about the Home, the children and the ongoing work of Esther’s Hope in Liberia on The Blog page.