“I personally believe that, regardless of religious background, we are all created in the image and likeness of Christ.” These are the words of Mr. Alfred Damaco Lamie, a pastor who works tirelessly for the peace of communities in rural Liberia..”
Alfred hails from the Kissi tribe, which predominantly resides in Foya City and primarily engages in subsistence farming including growing crops and raising cattle. He reaches out to rural communities with the Christian gospel and seeks to improve the livelihood of widows, single mothers and poor families by initiating new agricultural efforts, e.g., raising pigs.
In Alfred’s region, Christians and Muslims coexist. However for years, land disputes and tribal conflicts have plagued the communities that Alfred works with. During one of these disputes, Alfred stepped up and mediated between conflicting parties until they came to a peaceful resolution, earning the trust of his community members. Nevertheless, as long as these issues persist, he will “find it difficult to work smoothly witwwh those in that community.”
Alfred wants to improve his knowledge of not only agriculture and education but also conflict resolution and peacebuilding. His dream of rural community empowerment does not just stop at agriculture but goes further to include institutions like schools and clinics, so that all community members can flourish in various disciplines.
Sending Body:
The Voinjama Evangelical Church of Liberia was founded in Lofa in 2006 for the mission of spreading the Christian gospel to local communities and empowering them through capacity building and agricultural development. Through their most recent project on raising pigs, widows, single mothers and poor families were able to send their children to school and expand their existing farms. One issue that the church faces is that youths in the community, whilst not lacking in number, need capacity building, training in self-reliance and servant leadership, and sustainability education. The Voinjama Evangelical Church of Liberia hopes that Alfred’s training in ARI will enable him to improve agricultural initiatives as well as empower the youth in his community.
