By Edwin M. Fayia, III, Fayiaedwin@gmail.com
A Prominent German statistician and philanthropist Rudolf Janke has pledged and reiterated a long term support to two primary school and health facilities in Voinjama and Foya Districts as socioeconomic empowerment to rural Liberians in Lofa County.
Mr. Janke also founder and financial backer of the Village People Empowerment Group (VPWG) since 2006 continues to support the provision of essential drugs and stipends to the Konjorloe and Karza community clinics in the two districts in Lofa County.
Specially, in the township of Konjorloe, Mr. Janke assisted citizens and residents that fled the civil war in Liberia with small soft loans and two safe drinking water wells and latrine facilities for the school and clinic.
Mr. Janke told this news organ recently the safe drinking project has since extended to (15) fifteen villages and towns in Foya statutory district in Lofa County.
He however pointed out that due some setbacks in the implementation of some of the infrastructure projects especially the maintenance of the sanitation and hygiene projects support and financing will now be directed at two key health and education in Konjorloe and Karza Towns in Lofa County.
As a result of two separate meetings with some women groups, Mr. Janke also agreed to continue financial and technical support to the micro credit and weaving projects owing to the fact that some of the women were able to pay back loans on time and committed to work harder in order to improve lives.
Mr. Janke first visit to the destroyed town was indeed heartbreaking and such scene of the destruction led him too initially to mobilize resources for the impoverished citizens and the destroyed houses were rebuilt as well as some socioeconomic activities jumpstarted in earnest.
Asked to throw light on sources of funding for the completed and ongoing projects, Mr. Janke intimated that the Federal Republic of Germany near Monrovia provided funds in a tune of little over USD$15,000.00 especially towards the safe drinking water and other critical sanitation projects for the rural villages and towns.
The German humanitarian also added that some of the funds for the completed and ongoing projects are secured through the display of Liberian paintings, traditional stories, exhibitions and lectures about socioeconomic conditions of deprived rural Liberians at various parties and events in Germany.
In a related development Mr. Janke has disclosed that the VPEG has initiated and completed the construction of the late cultural icon Bai T. Moore traditional and modest house at his birth town Demeh and new house is expected to be dedicated on October 11, 2020 at what is expected to be colourful traditional ceremony in Bomi County.
He also revealed that the over costs of the VPEG intervention in the overall socioeconomic development of the villages and towns are in the neighbourhood of more than USD$200,000.00 dating back to 2006 to date.
At another crucial town hall in Foya District, Mr. Janke expressed frustration at some of the lazy attitudes been exhibited by the leadership of Konjorloe Town in the areas of accountability and transparency funds been generated from the Unity Oil Palm plantation for the period under review.
He however reminded the citizens and residents that they have reneged on some of their commitments and promises on some of the ongoing projects especially the reporting system of money been collected from the oil palm plantation, maintenance of the town hall and sanitation facilities at the school.
With some of those setbacks, “I will not stop the support to the elementary school and the clinics at Konjorloe and Karza in the Voinjama and Foya Districts in Lofa County,” Mr. Janke assured.
He further admonished the citizens and residents of the rural towns and villages that tenets of unity, hard work and cooperation are cardinal ventures that lead to development, growth and progress in any society and Liberia is no exception.