Dear Friend:
As 2009 draws to a close, WACSN looks back on a proud history of providing humanitarian assistance to Liberia by supporting children in an effort to reduce poverty and improve families’ livelihood.
Peace, health, education, access to opportunity, and above all, the knowledge and love of God, are holiday gifts WACSN wishes on all Liberian families this year and many more years to come.
These are the adversities many ordinary Liberians endure each day. Many dream of a job to provide for their families, some wish for productive skill sets to improve livelihood, while others wish for food to feed their children.
This year as you celebrate the holidays, you can make the dreams and wishes of many ordinary Liberians come true by giving the ultimate holiday gift of HOPE – by choosing to support WACSN.
Your prayers, and the generosity of many of you, have made our success possible over the years. If you’ve been a supporter, we say “thank you." If this is your first introduction to WACSN, we hope you consider a tax-deductible donation to WACSN in this new year to help enrich the lives of children.
Bogus Charges against WACSN in Liberia
This year WACSN came under unwarranted and unprecedented attacks after 14 years of dedicated services to helping children and their families in Liberia. Although the Probate Court of Liberia ruled in favor of WACSN and found the government negligent in removing children with a court order, the politics of patronage and ethnicity interrupted the lives of innocent children. Many well meaning individuals presented distorted or confused views of international adoptions as a form of child trafficking to sensationalize public opinion on adoption in Liberia.
Erosion of Children’s Rights in Liberia
This year WACSN organized a symposium on the rights of the Liberian child because of the recently passed law in the lower house of the National Legislature. The symposium was intended to inform Senators of the upper house of the National Legislature where the Bill awaits deliberation before final passage into law. But, the intent of the symposium, ‘to promote children’s rights’, got misunderstood and taken out of context for political and personal reasons. Some organized groups saw the symposium as interfering with their turf and tempering unjustifiably in areas where only they should be heard on. WACSN is not deterred by these and other self-centered acts so long as our focus is on promoting the welfare of children and protecting their fundamental rights.
WACSN Reorganization
This year we are restructuring WACSN to enhance our circle of services to children and their families. We are building a new website, organizing new programs and projects, and setting up two new boards of directors in Liberia and the United States to guide us as we move forward with vigor, resilience and determination during the 2010 new year.
WACSN 2010
Throughout the New Year, we intend to focus more on our Spirit of Truth Pastoral Network as a springboard from which to leap into action spotlighting missions, adoptions and orphans. Our center of attention will be community driven with a focus on local Churches to provide basic services to enhance livelihood and living conditions of the people. Wouldn’t you come and join us as we endeavor to enrich the lives of children and their families through the power of Jesus Christ?
Warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday and a prosperous new year.
Francis W. Nyepon
WACSN-Liberia
Country Director
