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 Today may serve as a critical turning point in the history of Liberia, says veteran World Vision relief worker Rich Moseanko. According to Moseanko, August 13 is the last day in which government militia will be permitted to move freely about the country.
The August 11 departure of former Liberian president Charles Taylor to Nigeria and the crackdown on his militia also promise to open the door for relief supplies finally to reach hundreds of thousands of Liberians, who have been isolated from humanitarian aid by bloody warfare and looting.
“Despite the violence and the poverty, the people here are optimistic,” said Moseanko. “Taylor’s forces are still threatening families in some areas, but as international troops begin to arrive they’re seeing signs of hope.”
Since early June, fighting between government and rebel forces and rampant looting have kept most Liberians confined to their homes. Markets have been closed, and food supplies are nearly gone. Most homes are without clean water, and medical care for the sick and injured is virtually unavailable.
World Vision’s offices were looted three times, its computers and vehicles stolen, and the office itself damaged by a mortar shell. Throughout the fighting, World Vision has provided emergency health care in Monrovia’s largest displacement camp in the city’s sports stadium, which houses some 40,000 people. Once security is established, World Vision will offer additional services, including emergency food distribution and agriculture rehabilitation programs.
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