After a fire destroyed Ma Esther's house in Liberia shortly before Christmas in December 2014, the decision needed to be made as to, what's next.

Karen Barkman is the Director for Provision of Hope and was recently in Liberia during her annual trip to check on continuing projects and says it was the board's wishes that she meet with the contractor and decided whether the foundation was still viable.

"I wasn't surprised [by the damage to the house] because I had accurate photos of the wreckage and all the ruins of the fire," notes Barkman. "As a board we decided that I would come over and we would meet with the contractor on the site and decide whether the foundation was suitable to build on or if there was too much damage. After we met with the contractor we decided that we're going to demolish the whole foundation because there's just too much that needed to be reconstructed."

Barkman says that means the house will be built from scratch adding the foundation was cleared not long after the decision was made. She notes the rubble was not completely discarded but broken down into usable gravel for road road repair and for surrounding builds; also, the metal doors and window bars were saved for the new build.

Though shocked and devastated initially, Barkman says Ma Esther has received much encouragement and her spirits have been lifted. She notes there was a fundraiser through Barkman Concrete in December 2014 where $10,167 was given for sustainability ideas, but after the fire $5,167 was reallocated to rent a house for Ma Esther and the children she houses; the other $5,000 was put towards the building fund. Barkman adds the children have also been well since the fire.

"I was really encouraged by seeing all the children and how happy there were," notes Barkman. "Ma Esther seemed healthy and well and she has someone in her house helping her with the cooking. She also has a tutor that comes in every night after school and does tutoring with the children, which is a real help."

Barkman explains they encourage every parent of a children's home to engage in a small business. She says Ma Esther received a micro-loan and has a stand outside her house where she sells all kinds of goods, and this helps with funds needed for running her household.

She says the estimated cost to rebuild and fill the house with necessary furniture is $45,000 US. Through various fundraisers in southeastern Manitoba, including 'Raise The Roof', Barkman notes they have been given $45,000 CAN, approximately $10,000 shy of the goal, but enough to start construction with the hopes of raising the final amount soon.

While in Liberia, Barkman also visited foster care homes, checked in on organic agriculture projects, spoke at The Kingdom Come conference and met with refugees they helped find homes, to name a few.

Read More:
Barkman Concrete Assists Overseas Projects
Fundraising Efforts Up In Smoke

(Photo credit: Karen Barkman)