I'm here!

Hi people! I arrived in Monrovia, Liberia around 1am this morning. I survived my first night! The accommodations are meager, but fine, and I did get some good sleep. It took me a while to get to sleep but I eventually slept until 10am Liberia time (6am our time). I heard lots of things in my room but I didn't see anything. I'm assuming what I heard was cockroaches because I was told they come out at night- and probably some lizards. Lizards are everywhere! Today I saw some work at a construction site in Monrovia where EQUIP is building some homes and the rest of the day I have spent at the office (where I am now)- just reading up on the work in Liberia. It is clearly a very poor country as evidence by what I have seen thus far. I leave for Bong (pronounced Banga) county tomorrow where I will be working for the next 11 ish weeks. It will be a big shock I'm sure because it is significantly poorer than Monrovia. Signs of war are everywhere and it is clear that the country is still recovering.

I will post pictures when I can and will be in contact. I will not likely have internet access for the next couple of days because I have to give them my computer and have them send it to Bong on Wednesday to set it up for satellite internet access. However, please send me emails whenever! I love hearing messages from home. I am already a bit homesick. I found myself wondering if this is really where I was meant to be for the summer, so please keep me in your prayers that my spirits are lifted and the beginning of my work will be a success.

Miss you all already!

Nervous

Getting ready to leave today for Liberia and I am very nervous right now. Scared to be traveling alone and about the spiders when I get there. Those who know me know that I am very arachnophobic. Liberian spiders during the rainy season have been described as "massive" and "mammoth," and are about the size of my open hand ("five" sized). They just chill in the bedrooms. I know if I see one before I go to bed I will not be able to sleep. Please pray that they will stay away from me!

I will also miss William a crazy amount :( 11 weeks apart. Praying for good communication and that we both have a great and productive summer.

I will update this as soon as I can. Next message will be from Liberia!!!!

Here I go!

Hi! This is my first time doing this blog-thing, so we'll see how it works out. I decided to do it to document my work in Liberia. Here is a little synopsis of what I will be doing this summer:

I will be working with a Christian non-profit relief and development organization called EQUIP Liberia. This organization specializes in training and equipping local community groups to improve the health status of their community members. The Positive Deviance/Hearth methodology is used to provide sustainable rehabilitation to malnourished children. The Positive Deviance approach identifies affordable, acceptable, effective, and sustainable behaviors already in practice by community members with well nourished children, despite limited resources and equal risk for disease. The Hearth component involves enabling women in the community to educate other women based on the premise that mothers learn best from a peer who they can identify with, and who understands local customs and conditions. The three objectives of the Positive Deviance/ Hearth approach are to rehabilitate malnourished children, enable families to sustain improved nutritional status with existing resources, and prevent malnutrition among the community’s other children, present and future. EQUIP Liberia is attempting to restore communities in Liberia and counterbalance some of the devastating effects of fifteen years of civil war.

My position with EQUIP Liberia will be a nutritionist in a health clinic for malnourished children in Bong County, Liberia. I will be working alongside physicians, nurses and other technical health staff. In addition to the clinic I will be involved in the implementation of the PD/Hearth methods. I will be educating mothers of malnourished children about how to achieve adequate micronutrient and macronutrient intake using the resources already available to them. The program is entitled, “Come Eat at My Table” and involves training local women in the community to become “Community Health Ambassadors” (CHAs). Once trained, the CHAs invite other mothers in the community into their homes for a meal and education on proper nutrition for their child. The children and their entire families are involved in the process and the women provide education once a month for four months. The CHAs are also trained to identify and refute cultural misconceptions, and to educate the community on proper dietary and health practices to achieve maximum health and nutritional status. The children are provided two meals daily for the duration of the four month program. The meals are prepared and distributed by the CHA in order to assure proper allocation of the meals and the practice of proper sanitation habits.

I will be staying in Liberia for ten weeks, from May 27th to August 11th, 2009. Here is a little video about the organization. http://www.equipliberia.org/Assets/Equip%20Liberia%20(small).mov

I will be documenting my experiences on this site as often as I can. Internet access with not be regular, but I will do the best I can. Check in and please pray for my safety, health and the women and children I will be working with in Liberia. Also please pray for my finances. Tufts was able to offer me some money, but it was not enough to cover my expenses. Praying I can make it work! Thanks for your support in this endeavor!

Thanks!

Nicole