Alabama Baptists were among the first to send food to West African countries to help with food shortages but Baptist groups in other states also are beginning to help.
Recent reports by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank warn that Liberia — hardest hit by the virus — is descending into what the Washington Post called “economic hell.”
As people abandon fields and factories, food is becoming increasingly scarce and restrictions on public transport and internal travel are making it difficult to distribute food that is available. Worst-case estimates of the impact on the economy as a whole are catastrophic, the Post reported.
“People are terrified by how fast the disease is spreading,” Alexis Bonte, a representative in Liberia for the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, said in the FAO report. “Neighbors, friends and family members are dying within just a few days of exhibiting shocking symptoms, the causes of which are not fully understood by many local communities. This leads them to speculate that water, food or even crops could be responsible. Panic ensues, causing farmers to abandon their fields for weeks.”
That’s consistent with reports received by Dean Miller, team leader of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s global missions team.
“Liberian leaders have told me that while many people are dying of Ebola, many more may die of starvation,” he said.
After a recent conference call initiated by Baptist World Aid — which included Liberian Baptist leaders — confirmed the growing crisis, Miller decided to act. “This was something we could actually do,” he said. “We can’t cure the disease and we can only do so much medically. But we can provide food.”
Miller contacted Stop Hunger Now, an international hunger relief agency that partners with the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. The organization told Miller their warehouse in South Africa still had nearly 145,000 meals, none of them assigned. What’s more, transporting them to Liberia would take only three weeks, about half the time it would take to ship from the U.S.
Several Baptist General Association of Virginia congregations provided funds to ship the meals, which should arrive soon in Liberia. They’ll be distributed by representatives of the Liberia Missionary and Educational Convention.
Also contributing to shipping costs was Texas Baptists Disaster Recovery (TBDR), a component of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. That contribution was part of a much larger effort launched by the TBDR, which has arranged for about 570,000 meals to be sent to Liberia.
The effort was prompted in part by a visit to Texas by Olu Menjay, president of the Liberian convention, who is currently living in Alabama with his family until conditions are safe for them to return.
Meanwhile the Washington-based Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention is coordinating an additional effort to distribute food in Liberia. A recent “Heart for Liberia” event in Philadelphia collected more than seven tons of food and medical supplies.
The convention’s executive secretary-treasurer, David Goatley, said Oct. 17 he and president Gregory Moss are working with other Baptist leaders to provide financial support to distribute food and sanitary equipment in Liberia. (BNG)
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