Recently America responded to the health crisis in West Africa concerning Ebola. While the threat of Ebola remains the wave of the deadly virus was brought under control.
I followed the story and along the way made contact with students now adults when I served in Liberia as a missionary back in the late 70’s.
To be a missionary back then you had to be involved in education or medical care along with spiritual care. We were in the bush with a clinic and elementry school.
War over the next 25 years kept my wife, Barb and I from returning.
From Facebook one of my students contacted me and from there I have decided to become an advacate.
While my personal commitment develops, brainstorming I believe there are good ideas we could help countries like Liberia and develop improved goodwill of America throughout the world.
Most of Liberians have no access to education or healthcare. Education I believe can give the Liberian people the human resourses they need to grow independent and strong. Right now they are dependent on others to develop their natural resourses and commerse. This will lead to outside control and influence that may not be in the Liberian interest.
My idea though simple is bigger than myself.
What if clinics could be developed where people could be seen through internet technology where medical personel trained in tropical health care could see and hear people, care for them from health centers in Liberia or in the US. Local clinics could distribute medicine or do lab work.
There are many complications but care for malaria and other tropical conditions could be cared for. Medical care would improve when doctors and other professionals work with it.
Young professionals and grad students working towards their certifications could be hired to support and develop the service.
In Liberia there are many places where there are no schools. What if we took the internet tools and developed online schools.
Education centers could be developed in Liberia where teachers are trained to teach to areas without education. Where there is education, online work could be developed to upgrade what would be taught. For example a teacher could get support for the class in areas that there might be a weakness.
Teachers in the US could teach a class from their location and have direct contact with students in the interior of Liberia.
Liberian villages are pro education, they could provide supervision. Liberians working towards there own education goals could be trained as educational technicians and in conjuntion be working towards there own certification.
Young people graduate from college in this country looking for work in the teaching field could be hired to work with online classes, evaluating work, working out the many problems that may occur. Others may want a more hands on experience and be part of the work that has to be done in the host country.
What we learn and experience may also be used to improve our own education efforts here at home.
Problems yes, but look at the possible benefits:
- More people educated
- More Americans involved in helping others
- People suffer less because of tropical diseases
- Improvement in online medicine that could be applied for our senior citizens, those who need to see a doctor,
- An opportunity for our young people to serve their country with the training that they have achieved in colleges. Valuable experiences to build their own careers on. Service could be done right here in the US or for those wishing foreign service on sight work.
- What ever percentage this improves education in Liberia in other places speaks loudly that we've done something to help.
- One more way to improve America image as a people who care.
In your service,
William Reeves Jr.
bbbbsa@sbcglobal.net
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