Just when I thought my day was winding down calmly, I heard some activity in the hallway outside our office. When I opened our door I saw rows of cardboard boxes, piled up against the wall. Every few minutes, boys pushing wheelbarrows would deliver another 10 boxes. Turns out they were full of clothing and shoes that had been donated in the U.S. and packed up for shipment to Liberia. Ultimately the goods will be provided to orphanages throughout the country. Apparently shipments like this used to come every three months, but it has been longer since the last delivery.
As we were moving the boxes into three surrounding offices, I noticed something quite curious. There was a label on each box that described its contents, and there were many (maybe a few dozen) boxes that contained winter clothes. That means sweaters and sweatshirts and long sleeves and wool...there hasn't been a day below 85 since I arrived! What organization sends winter clothing to Sub-Saharan Africa??
Now, my Liberian colleagues didn't seem to thing that receiving winter clothes was particularly silly, primarily because they consider the rainy season here to be cold (roughly May - October with temps ranging in the 70s - 80s). And really, who am I to get insulted on behalf of a country I've only lived in for two months...
...but I can't help it! The organization or company who sent these goods demonstrated a lack of caring about the people who would be receiving them. Shipping winter clothes to Africa says "I don't care if the people I sent these to can use them. Beggars can't be choosers. I just want to get them off my hands and get a big tax writeoff for sending them."
The boys transporting the boxes up to our floor were dripping with sweat. I have a sneaking suspicion they have very little use for winter clothes from America.
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2 comments:
Believe it or not Alexis after living on the warm island of Guam for only three months, we all felt "cold" when the temperature would drop 10 degrees and then the one sweater I had brought with me was worn all the time. Everyone of the volunteers had their parents send them a few "warm" things...it was sort of like the feeling you get when you go into an air condition movie in the summer. Lots of love Cathy Shannon
good job Alexis.im a liberian living in mchigan and i appreciate the work you guys are doing in liberia.a takes a special person with a good heart to do that.God be with you Alexis.
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