Since April i have been going to Mama Victoria’s orphanage every Wednesday since March. I help lead a group of 16-23 year old women’s bible study. Mama Victoria is the lady that runs the orphanage in town and the one in Kingsville. Today, Jenn, Becky, Jeanne, Sarah and I along with some others were able to go out and see the country orphange in Kingsville. It was about a 1.5 hour drive and was so nice to get out of the city. Once we left the city, Liberia’s lushness becomes obvious and the noise fades away.
When we arrived we were very surprised to see Mama Victoria. She lives at the one in the city. Her son Pastor Willie and his wife Emily run the orphanage and the school.
We have really gotten to know Victoria. She is such a Godly woman. I love to talk to her and today we had some time to ask her some questions. We didn’t really know the story behind her orphanages. She told us that before the war broke out she was living in Matati with her husband, daughter, and four sons. When the war broke out her husband was killed in the war and then she left the country with her children. Her husband’s brother is a doctor in South Africa, they went to stay with them.
When Liberia became a little more stable Victoria and her now grown children came back to Liberia to find that the orphaned and abandoned children from her neighborhood were living in her house. Mama said ” I accepted them as my own and more and more kept coming as the war continued.” The Red Cross and the ministry of Health began bringing children to her house and the numbers began to climb. She said “The children would come after being shot or stabbed after they have been separated from their parents or have been orphaned.
Victoria went to the government to ask for some financial assistance. It was so hard to buy rice durring the war and the number of kids was almost 100 and she said they were in bad shape.
When the war was finally over, Mama Vic went out to Kingsville to ask the people for some land to build a place for some of the kids. She then moved about half of the kids out into the country. Mercy Ships built them a building that is now the main structure.
Today was a very eye opening day. I got to see the other orphanage and we got to her Mama Victoria’s story.
What cute pictures! Those kids look very cuddly!
What cute pictures! Those kids look so cuddly!
From your niece, Katy Ahmed