| 1. Personnel |
|
Barlea
Bartuah (on
left) is a director of the West Africa Crossroads
Corporation (WACC). He is a native of
Liberia and a United States citizen. A
member of Avondale Estates First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia,
USA, he
has already established one church in Côte d'Ivoire and is
committed to serving
God and the people of West Africa. He
presently resides in Ganta, Liberia and will supervise much of the
proposed
construction work in Saclepea. Mr.
Bartuah also advises WACC on cross- cultural issues, owns and operates
all
vehicles used for WACC, and handles all transportation and
communication
issues.
|
|
Steve Skinner (above,
right) is President of WACC. He has over thirty years experience in
university
research, government
relations, and telecommunications (including internet and cellular). He volunteers with the State Bar of Georgia,
serves on the boards of several non-profits, and has expertise in solar
power
and sanitation. He holds a Bachelor of
Science in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a
Master of
Business Administration from Emory University and is a deacon at
Avondale
Estates First Baptist Church.
|
 |
Melissa Trussell holds
a Bachelors Degree in
Discrete Mathematics from
Georgia Institute of Technology and is completing her studies for the
Master of
Public Administration from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at
Georgia
State University. She is on staff at
Avondale Estates First Baptist Church and has prior experience in state
government, campus ministries, and women's centers.
|
 |
Kalen Gary is completing her studies in
Business at the Georgia
Institute of Technology, focusing on entrepreneurship and marketing.
Previous
work experience includes K-6 school administration and logistics for
children's
programs at numerous Christian sites. Her
primary responsibilities for this project are banking,
media
relations, computer networking, and children's issues.
|
|
2.
Objectives
|
Based
on WACC's vision to strengthen the economic, education, physical and spiritual welfare
of the people of West Africa, our objectives for the Saclepea
Development Project are: |
|
ECONOMIC
Partner with local business leaders to:
|
·
install
an internet node in Saclepea, making internet access, email, and
printers
available
·
assess
local resources, raw materials, and skilled labor to help establish
light
industry
·
assist
local business men and women to organize into guilds for the purpose of
securing financing and larger contracts
|
|
EDUCATION
Partner with
educational agencies to:
|
·
determine
whether to construct a new school (or support an existing school) for
K-12
·
provide
adult education courses including language, computer, and vocational
education
·
assess
the need for and provide health, wellness and hygiene workshops
|
|
PHYSICAL
Partner with local
organizations to:
|
·
dig
water wells on WACC property and elsewhere in Nimba County
·
construct
a prototype washroom and composting latrine
·
assess
the need for additional hospitals/clinics in the Saclepea area
·
identify
opportunities to support existing clinics in Saclepea
|
|
SPIRITUAL
Partner with
local churches to:
|
·
strengthen
and encourage their ministries
·
determine
whether to construct a church building and assist local residents in
operating
a new church
·
provide
living quarters to visiting missionaries, speakers, and volunteers
·
identify
pressing spiritual needs and encourage local pastors to address them
|
| 3.
Schedule |
|
Action
|
Status
|
WACC purchases 8 acres of property in
Saclepea*
|
completed April, 2009
|
| Construction equipment shipped to Liberia |
completed
September, 2009 |
Barlea Bartuah travels to Nimba County to
begin assessing needs
|
arrived October, 2009
|
Melissa Trussell, Kalen Gary, Steve Skinner
travel to Liberia
|
arriving January, 2010 |
| SDP personnel work with local residents to
accomplish objectives listed above |
1/17/10 – 3/24/10 |
Implementation
|
WACC is working now
to execute the recommendations of
the
assessment team
|
| * to house a multi-purpose building,
including solar electric power,
satellite
internet access, a lending library, and a water well. |