August 11, 2019 / Education

Students Needing School Fees

Several students are still needing school fees.

Our staff have been very busy collecting report cards and registering over one hundred students to school. It’s often hard to decide where to draw the line, when so many are too poor to pay for their children’s schooling, especially our single mothers. If you know of anyone who is interested in sponsoring a child to school, we would love to hear from you.

So far we have not said yes to these ones. I decided to do a blog post and see if we get anyone interested in funding one of these children to school for this year or even a smaller donation towards a child’s schooling.

Andrew and Rose Wallace have 8 children they raise. Each one has their own story of how they lost their parents or their mother is too sick to raise them. Four of these children still need funds to go to school.

EVELYN Grade 3

PRINCE is in Kindegarten 2

Tenneh David, the widow of our late Abel Smith with her 3 children. Lovette is in Gr. 3, Melvin her late sister’s child is in Kindergarten 2 and Kelvin the youngest child could go to Preschool. Tenneh does not have the funds to put her children to school.

MELVIN in Kindegarten 2

BLESSING Grade 2

ANYNE is in preschool

LOVETTE Grade 2

LOVETTE Gr. 6 and VIOLA Gr. 7 Both girls are being raised by single mothers.

The average cost to register a student to school and pay their tuition for one year is $ 300. The cost does vary from school to school. Besides the tuition is the school costs of shoes, uniforms, book bags, copy books and pens. We allow $ 60 per child for school needs.

With your donations we CAN HELP SO MANY CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL. Any amount towards schooling is greatly appreciated.

Click here to donate

July 17, 2019 / Education

Bibles for Children

Karen Barkman / 2 Comments

Children are so excited to be getting new Bibles.

We are so thrilled that the Liberian Bible Society is selling us children’s bibles for a low cost of $ 15 USD a set! Our children treasure these bibles. Most children do not have access to books. These Bibles will help build their faith as well as their reading skills. The older children can read to their families. Often a mother is illiterate, and cannot read. We hope to buy more and more bibles to distribute to our kids.

Philemon is holding his new Children’s Bible.

Ruth and Favor are delighted to receive their Bibles. Ruth skipped from Gr. 1 to Gr. 3 this year. She is already reading!

Eric and Kamah’s children are so excited to read their new Bibles!

Janet Mulbah is in Grade 8 and can read the Children’s Bible to the children in her community.

What a change in this home since Mama Francess met Jesus!

Prince Jaylah is reading from the Children’s Bible for older children. Everyone is listening intently.

Thank you to everyone who already donated in order that we could buy these 8 sets of Children’s Bibles. You are making a difference in THE LIFE OF A CHILD!

With your donation we CAN BUY MORE BIBLES. This is a great project for young children!

Click here to donate

Faith proudly holds her degree. What an accomplishment!

June 29, 2019 / Education

BACHELOR OF NURSING STUDENT GRADUATES WITH HONORS

Karen Barkman / 2 Comments

FAITH HINNEH graduated on June 28th with a BSCN from CUTTINGTON UNIVERSITY! She graduated with a 3.74 GPA!! ” Well done Faith!”

Words cannot express how very proud we are of her great achievement. Faith worked hard and stayed focused on her studies. Today she stands tall and is confident that GIRLS IN LIBERIA CAN REACH THEIR DREAMS TOO! What a role model for our girls.

” When girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous.” Michelle Obama

Faith would like to thank her sponsors who made this day possible. Faith comes from a family who would not have had the means to fund her schooling. They did well in providing her housing and food during all these years.” Thank you Mike and Bindu Hinneh for all you did, it was a big help! Thank you for raising Faith to know God and believe that nothing is too hard for Him!”

Faith proudly holds her degree. What an accomplishment!

A day to celebrate!! A day to sing praises to God who works all things together for our good!

Daniel Keamue ( on the far left) represents Provision of Hope. We thank him for always making sure that school fees were paid on time and for taking all these wonderful photos.

I (Karen Barkman) first met Faith’s Family in 2007. I was on a mission to find John Duwana’s family and bring photos of him back to Liberia for his mother. John fled during the war and spent years at the Krisan Refugee Camp in Ghana before coming to Canada.

Faith graduates with Honors!! A GPA of 3.74 shows just how hard she worked at her studies!

Faith with her mom and dad, Bindu and Mike Hinneh. Faith was raised in a very loving and caring family.

A photo with Mike Hinneh, Faith’s dad. They had a party in honor of Faith back at their home. Bindu is a great cook. We have had many meals in this home since meeting in 2007!

A photo of Faith standing beside the ” Mom K U Are Welcome” sign that she made in 2007!! I loved this girl from the first time we met!!

A photo of Faith with her Grandma in 2012. ” Perhaps Grandma was watching from heaven and saw the joy in your eyes on this momentous day! “

It is your donations that make all this possible!! Thank you so much!!

Click here to donate

June 20, 2019 / Education

Champion Girl Graduates with Nursing Degree

Karen Barkman / 2 Comments

Rose Doley Wallace Congratulations!! Well done!!

Rose Doley Wallace graduated this month from the Tubman University in Maryland. She was given the Florence Nightingale Award, A Certificate of Honor for “best exemplifying caring in nursing situations and living the philosophy of the Department of Nursing including Competence, Commitment, and Confidence.” This is no small award! Rose you are my hero today!! Friends I know her story. Rose has had a very traumatic journey. It’s private and it’s her story, but I will say this. To come through as she has takes more courage than most of us would have! We are so proud of you!!

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” African Proverb

“We educate women because it is smart. We educate women because it changes the world.” Drew Fuast

Rose holds her Bachelor of Nursing Degree

Photo of Andrew Wallace at his grad in May 2016 holding his Bachelor of Nursing Degree from Tubman University.

Andrew is sitting with Amos who desperately needed a wheel chair. Andrew is the one who got this for him. Before his wheel chair, Amos would crawl on the ground to get from place to place. Thank you Andrew for this gift! Amos is just one of many that Andrew reaches out to. He has a very big heart of compassion.

Rose stands with her husband Andrew who also has a degree in Nursing through our scholarship program. They got married on July 23, 2016! What an outstanding couple!

Andrew loves being a nurse. He works at the JJ Dossen Hospital in Harper Maryland.

Here is a group photo of all the children Andrew and Rose are taking care of. These are the children of Andrew’s late 2 sisters, along with Andrew’s younger brother. In 2013 Andrew was left with 8 children to take care of. Both his sisters died 6 months apart. They each had 4 children. Andrew has sacrificed a lot in order to help them. He cares for his elderly mother too. She also lives with them.

It is your donations that make all this possible!! Thank you so much!!

Click here to donate

May 23, 2019 / Agriculture

Provision of Hope Purchases 2 Acres of Farmland

Karen Barkman / 3 Comments

Provision of Hope’s Organic Agriculture Trainers are thrilled to have our own farm land!

This is a dream come true for Kelvin Taweh who is standing beside one of the corner posts on our 2 acre property in Fendell, near Mt. Barclay. Both Kelvin and Joseph Sackie went to Kenya in 2013 to take Organic Agricultural Training through Organics 4 Orphans now called Thrive. They came back to Liberia in 2014 passionate to start training farmers at home. They have been diligently working in various communities since then! Year after year they would ask when we could set up our own demonstration garden, so the farmers they train, could see first hand what we have been showing them through power point workshops. Have a look at their work and progress Organic Farming Grows Health in Liberia.

Finally we all agreed, it was time to purchase our own farm land. Last February, while looking across several areas of suitable farmland, we found a choice field. It was also miraculous how the funds came in so speedily to buy this land. THANK YOU to the donors who made this happen! In Liberia they sing a song called ” It’s Gotta Be God” This was definitely God’s Timing and His Idea. SO MANY WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS PROJECT! Growing Nutritious Food is our primary number one goal. “Growing Health” is a program we are teaching wherever we host workshops. This is a curriculum we received through Dale Bolton who is the founder of THRIVE in Kenya.

Joseph Sackie is a big help to Kelvin. Here you see him raking the beds which have just been seeded. They planted cucumber, watermelon, eggplant, Chinese cabbage, cassava and sweet corn. So far we have 70 raised beds. There are so many local hardworking youth that are delighted to help on this farm. In this way we can create some income for those who are jobless.

Jerry (Edwin Cooper) Kelvin and Joseph with the help of hired youth in the community, constructed a nursery. Here is where they will plant more delicate seeds, like peppers, chili, lettuce, Chinese cabbage etc, Later they transplant the seedlings to the raised beds.

On our land we have farmers who rented a portion of this land before we purchased it. We are working in cooperation with them as well. As you can see this land is fertile and will be very productive as we move forward.

We have several goals in mind for this land.

A. Demonstration Gardens for Organic Training Workshops

B. Growing Nutrition

C. Providing Jobs in a Country suffering with so much unemployment and inflation.

D. Selling Produce to supplement our SEEDS AND TOOLS for Poor Farmers throughout Liberia.

This is a photo of some of the local workers hired to help clear land and help carry bamboo poles to build the nursery.

More and more beds are being constructed for seeds. You can see our compost pile in the distance and the nursery in the back ground. There is a nice stream of water close by. On our 2 acres of land we have both wet and dry land. Liberia has a tropical climate with hot and humid temperatures year round. They have a rainy season that lasts from May through October because of the African monsoon and frequent rains throughout the year, The dry season is mostly from December through February. This is the time we would plant closer to the stream, on the wetland.

Here is a close up view of the nursery. This is where they will start many seeds which will be transplanted to the raised beds later. Jerry, who has farm land close to our land has been a big help to Kelvin and Joseph. We sure appreciate his assistance. We are working in cooperation with the local farmers. This is definitely a community project. Our goal is always towards helping others become sustainable.

Kelvin and Jerry are planting seeds in the nursery.

Joseph Wilson has been a great help planting the cucumber beds.

Mixing Manure into the prepared soil.

Thank you again for those who donated so we could buy this land!!

Others donated to help us buy seeds and tools and help us pay our local workers. We will keep updating you on this project from time to time to show you our progress.

We can buy a lot of seeds for very little. $ 25, $ 50, $ 100

A wheel barrow $ 50, A hoe $ 15, A shovel $ 15, watering cans $ 10, rake $ 10

Click here to donate

April 17, 2019 / Uncategorized

Young Mother Dies leaving two Children

Karen Barkman / 2 Comments

Another sad story!

It is always a sad day when a young mother dies, It is even more sad when she dies needlessly at the hands of medical malpractice. Far too many times this is happening in Liberia. Blessing was only 21. She had a C-section which was probably not even needed. Those with her said, Baby Jeremiah was already visible when the C-section began. The rural clinic kept Blessing for weeks after her delivery. She developed postpartum sepsis. Her pain was intolerable. Blessing often didn’t have the strength to feed Jeremiah. By the time Blessing was rescued from the hands of this substandard clinic, her infection was out of control. As soon as staff at Provision of Hope were notified, they rushed her to the ELWA hospital by taxi. We have few ambulances so that was not possible. ELWA did a surgical repair of the stitches. They found instruments left inside, The surgery was successful, but during the night Blessing died.

Baby Jeremiah was very malnourished at the death of his mother

Mother who raised Blessing now takes care of Christian the 5 yr. old and Baby Jeremiah. They are poor themselves but they have a heart of love and want to see these children grow strong.

Reeves and his wife are trying their best. Reeves is a school teacher making a very low salary in a rural school.

This is their home. They have no cement floor

Baby Jeremiah after a month on fortified formula!

Baby Jeremiah is in the hands of a very loving mother.

Christian is wearing his new clothes and new shoes! He is holding an armful of jeans, shirts, under wear, socks etc. He never had this many new clothes at one time I am sure!! Thank you Kula Harris for doing the shopping!

Provision of Hope plans to continue supplying their formula. A case of 12 tins lasts for over a month and a half. The cost is $ 65 US. Christian is in Kindergarten. We are trusting for funds to continue his schooling.

Thank you to Felecia Wiebe ( our Liberian daughter) who notified us of this extreme need and for raising the money to get Blessing’s body released from the hospital for burial. Thank you to all these donors. All hospital bills need to be paid before they release the body. Thank God Blessing could have an honorable funeral. Thank you to Daniel Zulu who is a neighbor to the Reeves’ family and helps tremendously! Thank you to those who have already donated and to anyone who might wish to help us continue this work.

This story is only one example of the many stories we could be posting. God is faithful to provide through our generous donors!

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ words of Jesus in Matt 25:40

God Bless you!

Karen Barkman

” Let the beauty of what you love be what you do”

March 27, 2019 / Education

A DREAM ACCOMPLISHED!

Karen Barkman / 2 Comments

EMMANUEL GIBSON CONGRATULATIONS! WELL DONE!!

Emmanuel Gibson graduated on March 3rd with a BA in Theology from the Maranatha University College in Ghana. This is a dream come true!

Emmanuel worked hard to achieve this goal! He did remarkably well in his grades too. His thesis was put up in the school library.

THIS IS WHERE WE MET EMMANUEL

Mama Karen first met Emmanuel in 2008. Here he is standing in front of his Aunty’s home in Liberia. He came from extreme poverty.

Provision of Hope funded Emmanuel through high school. This was Emmanuel standing with his Aunty on his High School Graduation Day! Thank you to Lucy Martens of Steinbach, MB who started sponsoring him to make this journey all possible!

Apostle Samuel Mwangi came to Liberia and met Emmanuel in 2011! Samuel runs a school of ministry in Kenya through Bethel, School of Supernatural Ministry. After high school Emmanuel went to Kenya to attend this school.

After Kenya, Emmanuel came to Ghana. We rented a room for him at the Buduburam Refugee Camp. He soon became one of Provision of Hope’s leaders in Ghana. This is Emmanuel meeting with the widows. He has a heart to help others who live in poverty. Emmanuel is our financial treasurer in Ghana at the camp.

In 2014 Emmanuel Graduated with a Diploma in Theology from the Assemblies of God Southern Ghana Bible School. In his breaks he was always at the Refugee Camp, ministering with the youth and helping in the church.

Emmanuel has a strong gifting to teach and preach the word of God. He is a man of prayer! Tonight he is preaching at Winners Chapel International, the church he attends. This is a large church in Ghana. The topic he was given is ” The Mystery of Faith” I know he will do well!

Emmanuel is always an advocate for those in need. In the midst of the large churches he is asked to preach and teach at, I am confident that will never lose His Heart for the Poor. He still lives on the Buduburam Refugee Camp. We are asking God, “Where does he go to from here?” God knows!

March 7, 2019 / Trip Reports

WHAT A GREAT TRIP!

Karen Barkman / 6 Comments

What a wonderful two weeks we had in Liberia! We saw so much progress!

One of our greatest joys is seeing the children in our homes and spending time with them. Knowing how well they are cared for and loved makes the effort so worth it. A big thank you to our parents who run the homes and to all the donors who help support our children and other projects. It’s through your giving that all this is possible. We also have an amazing staff on the grounds who are so devoted and diligent.

This is Otis and his children just before the wedding. I was so thrilled that they postponed the date so I could attend. As the “traditional” wedding ceremony proceeded they announced that they were officially welcoming me into their family! Therefore, I needed to be taken out and dressed in their family dress.

I felt so honored to be a part of this wedding and so happy to see the children so excited to see their dad getting married.

Otis and Benetta are so well suited for each other. Benetta lost her husband too several years ago. I know Benetta will bring a lot of joy to Otis and to this home. She’s a strong Christian and loves children. Benetta is a blessing!

Daniel and Pinkey Keamue had a beautiful wedding on February 2nd. What a joy to be at their wedding as well. Daniel has been our accountant since 2005. He is so faithful and will make an exceptional husband for Pinkey.

We took medical drugs to Dr. Hena at Waterfield Primary Health Care Centre in Kakata. Dr. Hena has a heart of gold and goes the extra mile to help the poor who cannot afford treatment. We get these medicines from HPIC through a donation of $675 for every 50 pound box. Their approx. value is $ 6,400. We bring medical drugs in that are hard to find in Liberia, and are a very good quality.

Andrew Wallace and Otis Dyega are both nurses, who also got some of the medical supplies for our Children’s Homes. Andrew and Rose are on our program too as Hope Home Parents taking care of children who have no parents. Provision of Hope funded Andrew through university to get his BN degree. Rose will be graduating with a degree in Nursing this year too!

We are so proud of all our Hope Home Parents! They value each child in the same way we do. ” God has no orphans, he only has sons and daughters!” We gathered everyone for training and discussions on how things are going.

In our Parent’s Meeting we introduced ” Character First” Education. This is a course placing a high value on building future leaders of character. Each home received a copy of 30 lessons that are so practical to teach kids. These are lessons on Honesty, Kindness, Respect, Obedience, Gratefulness, Self-Control, Forgiveness, Creativity etc. We talked about ” Parents being the best role models!

Another highlight on our trip was spending time with our widows and seeing the joy on their faces as we worshiped together. We met with over 100 widows in Matadi. Listen to this song! “He didn’t have to do it but He did” He woke me up this morning and sent me on my way! He didn’t have to do it but He did!”

We keep empowering single mothers like Francess. This is a life transformed! From working the streets to following Jesus! I asked Ruth, her older daughter, ” Do you like your new Mama?!!” Her quick response was ” Oh yes!!!!!” The girls are both doing well in school. They live in a safe community. We had an amazing time of prayer in their little place. When I said lets pray, the first thing they all did was kneel on the floor. We had a taste of heaven when they started to sing ” It’s gotta be God!”

Kristine Riley shared her latest Henrietta Book ” The Heart of Africa’s Garden” with the Bridge of Hope Girls School. This is a photo of Emmanuel Juah one of the teachers receiving copies of the book for their library. Kristine shared her story and left 100 books in the hands of so many parents for their children and students to read. Visit her website if you would like a copy. Kids love her books!!

We continue to partner with farmers all over Liberia. Here is a photo of women who farm receiving seeds and tools. Many benefit through this program. Kelvin Taweh and Joseph Sackie are Provision of Hope Organic Agriculture Trainers who took their studies in Kenya with Organics 4 Orphans

January 20, 2019 / Uncategorized

Weddings in February!!

Karen Barkman / 2 Comments

Wedding bells will be ringing in Liberia this February!

Daniel Keamue is getting married to Pinkey Ward on February 2nd! I am so excited to be present at this wedding!

Daniel has been doing our accounting since 2005! He has a Bsc in Business Management. Provision of Hope funded his schooling. Daniel has served faithfully. I am so happy for him to have found his wife!

**Pray for the Favor of the Lord to be on this Special Day!**

If anyone would care to donate towards this wedding I know it would be a huge blessing to them. There are still costs to cover.

Pinkey has children she takes care of, so this will be an added responsibility for Daniel as well. He will make a super great dad!

The second wedding will be Mr. Otis Dyega getting married to his fiancee Benetta Saywrayne! They too are very excited about this day. I am thrilled that they postponed their big day so I could attend! I met Benetta on my last trip to Liberia. She is so suited to Mr. Otis and she loves children. Otis lost his wife in 2012 through a sudden heart attack. Benetta has been a widow for several years too. See the budget for their wedding at the bottom of this post. We know finances are tight for weddings in Liberia. I do hope to honor both couples with some kind of help.

Otis is the dad in our Children’s Home in Buchanan. He is one amazing dad who cares for his children well and teaches them to be responsible. They are taught to have a strong faith in God. These are well disciplined children who take their school work very seriously.

This wedding will be more of a traditional kind of wedding. Otis is hoping that we can help him with a contribution towards his costs.

Food $ 150 Dowry payment $ 50 Wedding clothes for the couple $ 75 Renting a musical set $ 50. Marriage Certificate $ 50 Rings for both $ 50 Printing of Invitations 20 Clothes for parents 40 Photos of the wedding 75 Transportation for the couple and party $ 50 Soft Drinks $ 80 = a Total sum of $ 690

This is often why couples in Liberia will live together rather than get married, because even a traditional wedding is expensive for them.

Please join me in praying for these couples as they do the last minute preparations for their weddings! I am invited to pray a PRAYER OF BLESSING over each couple at their wedding! What an honor!!

Pray for Kristine Riley and I as we journey to Liberia. We leave January 27th.

**This will be my 12th Trip to Liberia since first going in 2003. Kristine Riley is on her 4th trip! She’s a close friend and great person to travel with.**

Kristine Riley is the author of a number of children’s books in the series of Henrietta the Butterfly! She just finished her last one called ” The Heart of Africa’s Garden” The kids will certainly LOVE this one! Click on the highlight to see more.

We are taking medical kits again and have “so” much luggage! Email me if you would like to be put on my prayer network for this trip. Prayer is so powerful!

Angela Davis’ mother Annette Wieler is meeting up with us in Frankfurt. Pray all goes well for her too. She is the brave one, traveling alone! Annette is going to see her daughter and son-in-law Emmanuel who just moved to Liberia this past September! They are there as missionaries for 4 yrs. engaged in Church Renewal. I can’t wait to see them too!!

Karen Barkman