Ducor Hotel

A few shots of/from the Ducor Hotel, a former 5-star hotel crowning Liberia's capital atop Ducor Hill.


I had a bunch of great wordy and (what I thought were) insightful thoughts on how the present state of the hotel could allude to a metaphor of lofty aspirations of greatness that were undermined by violence but how Liberia is now poised for a slow but steady comeback,

but I proof-read it and decided it just looked like I was trying too hard. Ha!

-Some kids having fun sliding down to the deep end on plastic 6 gallon water jugs

In any case, a few weeks after arriving in Monrovia I thought I'd venture to Ducor Hotel because I heard it was the best place to catch some bird's eye view shots of the city. The Nigerian UN peacekeeper guarding the entrance encouraged me to climb to the top where I could then see the ocean to the south, as well as the peninsula on which Monrovia rests stretching out to the east, and the outskirts reaching out past 'New Bridge' off to the north and west.

The Ducor Hotel, I'm told, used to be a bit of an icon for Liberia as it hoped to serve as a figurehead of progress and development in West Africa. The wealthy and influential would come from the surrounding countries to stay, have meetings, do business, and relax. Unfortunately, during the war, the hotel was repeatedly looted, with its 300 rooms eventually serving as homes for squatters.


Rumors have been spreading for some time now that contracts have been signed which will allow the hotel to be rebuilt but other than the eviction of the squatters, there is no evidence that work will begin any time soon.


Okay, so I'm still trying to draw lines between the Ducor Hotel and the greater Liberian situation in general... so how about this: 25 years of political instability can do a shocking amount of damage. While the situation is changing, it is estimated that it will take much longer to rebuild than it took to tear the country down. There is much work to be done but Liberians are hopeful for change, and that it may come as soon as possible.


Tomorrow is the runoff election for the Montserrado County senator position. Monrovia is buzzing with energy (and we all get the day off!)

18 Mountains

Last night, after 10 days on the road, it was great to make it back to my home in Monrovia. Last Sunday, Renita Reed (the West Africa Regional Facilitator for Partners Worldwide) and myself left for Danane, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) where we would be holding a training session for a new Partners Worldwide affiliate organization called ACLCP. Similar to LEAD, ACLCP will be offering business training, loans, mentoring and advocacy. What sets ACLCP apart from LEAD is that it is located in in the rural 18 Mountains region of Cote d'Ivoire and at least half of its clients are involved in either agricultural or animal farming.

Allen dropped Renita and myself off at the parking station for taxis on their way to the road leading north. We took taxis to Ganta, and after staying the night and stopping to visit with the LEAD staff there, Renita and I made our way to the Ganta parking station for the road leading to the Cote d'Ivoire border. After negotiating for seats in an old beat-up 4x4 (Renita graciously let me sit up front) we set out on the four hour trip on what proved to be the single worst road I've ever been down. Our driver's name was Dodge, so I asked him if he'd been given the name for his ability to avoid potholes. 'Haha, ah..... no." was his answer.

After negotiating our way through customs, we were met by Dea Leiu, the National Director and ACLCP's Treasurer Luc. Another hour's drive got us to Danane where we met Dea's family, many of the ACLCP staff and Gert and Machteld Kollehonven, a couple from Ontario who served as translators and teachers for the week.

Our main objectives for the week were to provide trainings for the Board as well as for the staff who will later be teaching ACLCP's business training classes. The classes were great and appreciated by the staff (and I learned a few things myself). A highlight of the weeks training was when the ACLCP staff took turns role playing as teachers and businessowners which was naturally a bit entertaining. I played the role of ignorant businessowner who intended to build a cement block making enterprise in Danane but did not have a real understanding of the local customers who actually prefer mud blocks which are cooler in the hot sun (and stop bullets, unlike their cement counterparts).

Another highlight was our visit to ACLCP's training farm. This farm is owned by the local church denomination but has been training local farmers how to raise chickens, escargot and grasscutters (imagine a large groundhog) and also grow rice and other crops. The farm is currently under reconstruction after it was looted by rebel soldiers in 2002 but it is easy to imagine how amazing it must have looked. With a building for classroom, a house, dorms, and several barns, etc. this place is all set to go to do the oh-so-important work of equipping Liberian farmers. Pictures simply don't do justice. Any French speakers wanting to learn about agriculture in Cote d'Ivoire while living in a spectacularly beautiful setting must check this out. AMAZING!
After a great week, it was time to head back to Monrovia. On Saturday evening Machteld ceremoniously named 'Mother of ACLCP and the 18 Mountains Region' while Gert and myself were each given the honorous title of Brothers. Machteld was given a dress and Gert and I were given shirts, the name of which means 'shirt worn by the chief as he rides triumphantly on his horse'. I'd like to think that means I should wear it proudly while cruising the Monrovia streets on my bright green minibike.

After attending Church on Sunday morning Dea gave us a ride to the Liberian border. A little bit of context here: Cote d'Ivoire is currently suffering from political instability. The conflict began in 2002, and while the fighting slowed down after 2004, promised of elections have routinely been delayed. While there is little active conflict presently, the country is still divided with much of the country (Danane included) under the military control of rebel forces. The rebels don't cause too much trouble but they are a nuisance, demanding money a checkpoints and the boarder, and while they are the acting police force, they provide little security for the Ivoirian citizens.

I was understandably happy to see Bangladeshi UN troops observing the crossing, as it made for a much easier passage. Unfortunately for Renita and myself, there were no taxis waiting on the other side.... Instead, our bags were strapped to the back of 125cc minibikes which carried us, our bags and our drivers back to Ganta (the aforementioned worst road ever in my life, etc.). To say Renita and I were exhausted and dusty by the end of it would be a rude understatement. We took much needed showers before cashing in for the night. After leaving Ganta the next morning, we stopped in at the Gbarnga LEAD office to audit some files before trekking back to Monrovia.

I find that trips like this are often better told with pictures rather than words. Check out my picasa account (to the right) for more photos.

Mentoring Program Provides New Opportunities for Business Development

Feeling both guilty for not having posted anything recently, and yet a bit lazy on my day off (Liberian Thanksgiving), I thought I'd post a story I wrote for the upcoming Partners Worldwide newsletter. Check it out.



Isaiah Teah sets his cell to speakerphone and leans in to make himself heard more clearly. Outside, workers shovel sand off the back of a dump truck as he prepares to begin his second mentoring phone call.

“The plan of the business is to grow large and be able to serve the public and then have branches at strategic areas where I will be able to do my business better. I have a few questions for you and I have some things that I have trouble with in the business and I need you to please help me, to give me some ideas, because there are some things that I apply but that are still not easy for me.”

On the other end of the line sit Don Teitsma, Isaiah’s mentor, and Theo Ndawillie, the mentoring coordinator for LEAD’s Grand Rapids affiliate. Don, a business owner of five years, is eager to put his business experience to work in a mentoring relationship.

“When the mentoring opportunity came up, I thought this would be a good fit. It only makes sense that we can help business owners over there get established and get a profitable business going. I realize that the different cultures may present some challenges but I am very open to learn myself and explore ideas that may work over there in Liberia. This is really a great mission challenge to allow the power of God to work in the lives over there and here.”

Isaiah owns Creative Joinery, a furniture company and cement block factory. Isaiah joined LEAD in 2007 and completed its 12 week business training course. “Oh I learned a lot of things and it is what I am now applying. I learned how to save. I learned how to manage my workers; to manage them to perform. I also learned how to talk to customers, and how to use business strategies to get into the market.”

In 2008 Isaiah used a loan from LEAD to purchase a cement block making machine and he now competes with Liberia’s largest block manufacturer. He has been able to attract plenty of customers, most recently through a contract with a Chinese company building low-income housing for the Liberian government.


As his business expands, Isaiah struggles to meet his cash flow needs because of the increased demand for his blocks. “If you check the book of Malachi chapter 3:8, the bible says that we should pay tithes and offerings and that God will open the door to heaven and bring down blessings. I do that frequently but sometimes I catch difficulties because sometimes I see more customers coming and I will then need more money to produce. I can be tempted by the devil to put that money into the block business to get more blocks to build the business up. So I’m praying; I want to use your strategies that you are using because if I do that I believe God will bring this business to the highest level. “

Isaiah is one of several clients participating in LEAD’s new mentoring program. Started in July, this program is connecting LEAD’s strongest entrepreneurs with North American businesspeople in mentoring relationships. These non-financial relationships give North American businesspeople the opportunity to use their business skills and experience to directly affect the lives of businesspeople in the developing world through encouragement, prayer and business advice, and provide some of Liberia’s most exciting entrepreneurs a person to bounce ideas off of and to grow alongside them in friendship.

Through bi-weekly phone calls, spontaneous emails and a weeklong in-county visit, mentors and mentees are able to develop a strong rapport. Members of LEAD’s mentoring program appreciate tapping into a wealth of insights and business experience that would not otherwise be available to them. Mama Sallie, a member of the program and owner of Paulma’s Restaurant and Guesthouse in Gbarnga is building a strong relationship with her mentors George and Monique Stevens and is now reporting increased profits of $50US per day.

Meanwhile, as Isaiah begins his mentoring relationship, he looks forward to building his mentoring relationship with Don. “As mentor, I want to ask you what strategies you are using to overcome these things so that I myself will be able to apply them. Mentor me so that I can be honorable to God because he is the one who has given me this opportunity.”