From BWH to Liberia
Compassionate Care Has No Boundaries
Bolstered by the help of a BWH nurse, Kesseh Yeleboe, a patient care assistant, is gaining momentum for a faraway cause that is close to his heart — to bring lasting improvements to Liberia, his native country in west Africa.
“When you hear about his vision and dedication, you can’t help but get involved,” said Teana Gilinson, RN, a staff nurse who works with Yeleboe on Tower 12ABC. “Single-handedly, he is using his own money to help an impoverished region of Liberia to grow nourishing crops, drill wells for running water, and build a dam that will supply critically needed electricity to schools, clinics and hospitals.” She recently plowed through mounds of U.S. government paperwork to help Yeleboe’s organization successfully file for tax-exempt status, which will open vital new pathways for raising funds.
Formerly a plumber, Yeleboe emigrated to America in 1987 after his employer went out of business. “In Liberia, once you lose a job, it’s nearly impossible to find another,” he said. Within a few years of coming to Boston, he trained as a patient care assistant and was hired by local hospitals, joining BWH in 2000.
Liberia’s economic distress has worsened in recent years, he noted, fueled by a seven-year civil war that ended in 1997. Although recovery is slowly coming to some urban areas, four-fifths of the population live in extreme poverty. Unemployment among the 40,000 people in Yeleboe’s home region in central Liberia, where his mother and other relatives still live, exceeds 85 percent.
“It may take decades for rural areas to get electricity, sanitation, safe drinking water and enough food to eat,” said Yeleboe. He is determined to change all that.
For years, he has juggled several jobs or shifts, using his modest savings to create key programs in Liberia, where U.S. dollars go a long way. He hired a civil engineer to draft plans for a hydroelectric dam that will provide power to his home area, which has never had electricity. Water from the dam also will irrigate nearby fields.
Yeleboe has hired agricultural experts to start community farms. Rice is the staple food, and villagers are learning how to grow a hybrid that can be harvested twice a year. He introduced bananas and pineapples — enough for the community and a surplus to serve as a potential source of income. Villagers are growing corn to feed to chickens and pigs, adding much-needed protein to their diets.
Yeleboe’s organization is named “Seledorwon,” which means “the cause of nation-building.” He believes that lasting improvements are gained through education and skill building that result in community self-sufficiency. At first, his family thought he would help just them. “They grew to understand that I couldn’t leave the others out,” he said.
With its new nonprofit status, the effort is surging ahead, seeking support from foundations, corporations and individuals. Among funding priorities are roadways and trucks to move cash crops to market. The dam still needs to be built. And there are huge communication needs — Internet access costs $100 a month, but per capita income is only $20 per year. Fortunately, a hospital in the capital city of Monrovia is allowing one of the group’s volunteers to use its network.
Operating from a small office in Dorchester, Yeleboe is brimming with energy. “My mind is made up,” he said. “I don’t see anything that’s going to stop me now.”
For more information about Seledorwon USA, Inc., or to make a contribution, please contact Kesseh Yeleboe at 617-541-4641, e-mail seledorwon2@aol.com.