Another Trip to Guinea

by Liz Fowler

Many of you probably won’t be surprised to learn that I will be making my third trip to Guinea this summer. In early July, I will be returning to Conakry. The purpose of this trip is two fold – I will be visiting with dear friends that I made in January and February and I will also be delivering supplies and money to a local orphanage.

I am making a coordinated delivery on behalf of some of the American women that I met and danced with in January of this year. Several of those women visited a local orphanage during our time in Guinea. Everyone was touched by the efforts of the orphanage director and pledged to help after their return to the United States. Since many of you have asked how you are able to help, I wanted to share with you that I now have a way.

My friend Destiny, a college student in Utah who I met during the dance trip, has sent me boxes of school supplies and clothing that she would like me to deliver to the orphanage. Because of that, I now have more than I can easily transport to Guinea. (Believe it or not, boxes that get mailed to Guinea via USPS rarely make it to their destinations and shipping with DHL is prohibitively expensive.)

Here’s a little background to show you the need:

· There are 35 children living at the orphanage. Michael, the director of the orphanage, and one other teacher do their best to care for them, providing meals, lessons in French and English, as well as a safe place to live.

· Michael indicated that it costs about $5000 to run the orphanage for a year.

• A 50 pound bag of rice costs $60 American in Guinea at this time.
  
  
• Gas is currently just over $6.00 a gallon — in a country where many people don’t even make $1.00 a day. (Recent conflicts between the government and military caused a surge in gas prices – for just over a week gas cost $6.80 per liter in Guinea! That’s over $25 per gallon!!)

If you are able to help with small gifts of money anything would be truly appreciated, both by me and by all the people in Guinea.

I will use the money to:

1) Help cover the cost of the excess baggage I will be bringing to Guinea

2) Buy rice to deliver to the orphanage (one of my friends in Conakry who has a car has already agreed to drive me around to buy the rice and to deliver it)

3) Give to the director to use at his discretion. In addition to buying food and other basic supplies, Michael has said he hopes to hire a staff doctor and another teacher, as well as to buy more beds and bedding.

Again, as you know, no gift is too small!

Many thanks! Merci beaucoup! Inuwali*!

Liz

*That’s thank you in Susu. J