In Conversation with Elijah Harlie

Maneno ya Andrew Glenn, Masoko katika Sawyer

Katika utulivu wa asubuhi ya majira ya baridi mapema katika PNW, niliwasha taa na kukaa chini kwenye meza yangu ya jikoni. Wakati kwenye jiko langu ulisoma 4:55AM kama simu inayoingia ya WhatsApp iliwasha skrini yangu ya simu. Kujibu, nilichukua sip ya chai na kuruhusu simu ya video kufanya bafa yake. Akiwa ameketi kando ya meza na nusu ya dunia, Mchungaji Elijah Harlie alikuwa akipiga boriti, akirudi nyuma na jua la mchana la Liberia. Tulibadilishana mawimbi ya laggy na salamu wakati mtandao wetu uliposhika, tukifunua zaidi tofauti zetu kubwa katika maeneo ya kupiga simu.

Mchungaji Eliya ni mambo mengi. Hasa, yeye ni baba wa watoto watatu, mume, na mchungaji wa kanisa katika Kaunti ya chini ya Bong - wilaya ya kwanza nchini Liberia ambapo Mfumo wa Sawyer uliwekwa. Yeye ni mpenzi wa watu na anafanya kazi kwa bidii. Kwa haraka katika mazungumzo yetu, ilikuwa dhahiri kwangu sifa hizi mbili zilimfanya awe kiongozi katika Mradi wa Liberia, mpango wa miaka mingi wa kuleta maji safi kwa Liberia yote, mpaka hadi mpaka.

AG: Good morning, Pastor!
‍
Pastor Elijah: “Thank you so much for having me, and thank you to Sawyer for being a blessing to Liberia. It has been a blessing and a great joy to work with Darrel (Director of Sawyer International). He has been incredible over the years and he has been a very good guy to us. He’s a very good encourager and coach.”

Elijah flashes me his Sawyer t-shirt, as I throw a few fist-pumps. We both laugh.

Nini ilikuwa jukumu lako katika mradi wa Liberia?

Kwa kadiri mradi ulivyohusika, nilikuwa Meneja wa Mradi wa timu ya Assemblies of God. Nilikuwa nasimamia mradi huo.

Je, hiyo ilionekana kama nini?

Jukumu langu lilikuwa jukumu la msimamizi kuhakikisha kuwa wavulana ambao wana maagizo juu ya jinsi ya kutumia mfumo wa Sawyer, kujua jinsi ya kuisakinisha, na jinsi ya kufanya ufuatiliaji. Nilitumia muda na wachache wao wakienda msituni, msituni. [Tungepata] ripoti za kiutawala, kupata data zote zilizowekwa, na kutuma data kwa wingu la GIS.

(Wingu la GIS ni mfumo wa kufuatilia data ambao uliruhusu ramani ya ushirikiano wa wakati halisi wa kaya kwa kaunti wakati wa Mradi wa Liberia).

Ilikuwa ni ripoti yetu kwenda mahali pabaya, kwenda na watu, kuomba pamoja nao, na kuona kwamba makanisa yalipandwa ili kupandwa. Ilikuwa ni ufuatiliaji wa data nyingi.

Wow, hiyo ni mengi ya kusimamia. Na ni lini uliruka kwenye bodi na mradi huu?

Hiyo ilikuwa 2016.

Maji safi ya mpakani hadi mpakani. Hiyo ni wazo la mwitu. Haijawahi kutokea kabisa... Je, wazo hilo lilionekana kuwa la kijinga kwako mwanzoni?

Naam, kwa maoni yangu, wakati tuliambiwa na Darrel kwamba Kisima cha Mwisho kilikuwa kinaenda mpakani nchini Liberia, nilikuwa kama "Je, wewe ni wazimu?! " Je, hilo linawezekana?"

Wote wawili walicheka, na Eliya aliendelea.

"Lakini, unajua, Biblia inasema 'vitu vyote vinafanya kazi pamoja kwa wema.'

Eliya alielezea dhamira yake ya kupanda makanisa 600 ifikapo mwaka 2020, na mpangilio wa miujiza wa maono ya kisima cha mwisho cha maji safi ya mpakani ifikapo mwaka 2020.

Ni wakati gani ulitambua kuwa kweli utatokea?

Tangu mwanzo ilikuwa vigumu. Lakini kadiri muda ulivyozidi kwenda, ilikuwa rahisi zaidi. [Ilikuwa] changamoto kwa sababu una umbali mrefu na maeneo ambayo hupendi kwenda. Kisha ukaketi chini na kusema, "Wow."

Yote ilikuwa ya ajabu.

Ninaweza kufikiria. Kusikia tu vizuizi vya barabarani na changamoto ulizokabiliana nazo ukiwa msituni, lakini kisha tu mipango, uchambuzi, na ramani nje ni nani / wapi jamii hizi, na kuuliza mara kwa mara "tunawafikiaje watu hawa ambao hawajafikiwa?"

Mchungaji Eliya alitikisa kichwa chake, akikubali changamoto hiyo.

Mpango huo kwa ujumla uliundwa kutumia Liberia pekee kwa usafiri wote wa nchi, mitambo, mafunzo, na ziara za kurudi. Je, unadhani ahadi hiyo ilikuwa na athari gani kwenye programu?

Naam, Andrew, ilikuwa na athari nyingi kwenye programu. [Mradi wa Liberia] uliwafanya baadhi yetu kusafiri kwenda kwenye maisha na pumzi ya Liberia – kuijua kikamilifu, na kujua ni aina gani ya mambo ambayo watu wanapitia. Wakati mwingine tulisafiri hadi maeneo na kutembea kwa saa 9, 10 na kuona msitu. Una mfumo wa Sawyer na wewe, una ndoo, una chakula kingine cha kuchukua. Unatembea kwa masaa 10. Haikuwa rahisi - ilikuwa ngumu. Lakini ilitusaidia.

Mfumo wa Sawyer uliunda mazingira ambapo wengi wa Waberia wetu hawakuathiriwa na kuhara, kipindupindu, na vitu vingine kwa sababu wanatumia mfumo wa Sawyer. Kabla ya mwaka 2013/2012, ni wachache tu waliokuwa na maji safi ya kunywa, na Waberia walikuwa wakiathiriwa na kipindupindu, kuhara, malaria na vitu vingine. Mfumo wa Sawyer ulianzishwa, mengi ya mambo hayo yalifikia mwisho. Kwa hivyo sasa unaenda vijijini kwa kutumia mfumo wa Sawyer, na [magonjwa hayo] yamepunguzwa.

Sisi wote wawili tulisimama kutambua uzito wa mabadiliko hayo.

Nadhani kuwa na Liberia mafunzo na kushiriki maji safi na wengine Liberia, kuna imani. Unaweza kuona athari. Kama ni Wamarekani kuja kutoka majimbo, ni kama "Watu hawa ni nani?" Lakini wakati una mtu kutoka nchi yako ya nyumbani, kuna udugu na uaminifu zaidi na athari.

Elijah nodded.

Darrel helped train us, and then we helped train other Liberians. That was the best thing that happened to us. Train Liberians so Liberians can impact other Liberians. It was very effective. Elijah paused, then repeated.It was very effective. I still have the notes from Darrel, and sometimes I sit back and I reflect through the notes, thinking “well, Darrel is gone but in his seat is Liberia."

Ni nini kilichokuwa mshangao mkubwa katika mchakato huo? Ni vikwazo gani vikubwa visivyotarajiwa?

Watu wengi wa Liberia hawakutarajia mfumo huo kuwapa maji safi. Wengi wa watu wetu wanaishi karibu na mabwawa, mito, na makazi duni. Tulitoa machozi juu ya maji waliyokunywa. Cha kushangaza zaidi ni wakati unapochukua mfumo wa Sawyer kwao, na unachuja maji mbele yao, kwa kweli hutokwa na machozi.

Swali lao ni "kwa nini hii ni bure?" Kwa sababu ilikuwa bure, hakuna mtu aliyepaswa kulipa chochote kwa ajili yake.

Eliya alitulia tena, na nilihisi goosebumps kwenye mkono wangu.

Na walikuwa kama 'Whaaaaaaaaaat?! Je, unaniambia kuwa tunapata uhuru huu ili kuokoa maisha yetu?"

Na tulikuwa kama, "Ndiyo. Ni bure."

Hiyo ilikuwa mshangao mkubwa zaidi tuliokuwa nao kwenye kichaka.

Je, kuna hadithi maalum kutoka miaka 12 iliyopita ambayo utarudia kwa miaka ijayo?

Kuna hadithi nyingi, na kuna changamoto nyingi ambazo tunakabiliana nazo.

Natamani kusikia kila kitu!

Elijah laughed.

You know, some of the stories have to do with traveling by motorcycle on the roads to go to the villages. In the middle of the forest, you reach a moat. You have to travel with the motorcycle. You have to travel with the buckets. You have to travel with the Sawyer systems. And you have to travel with your food.

So the challenge is, you lift the motorcycle up. For 10 minutes, you carry the motorcycle on your head. And you cross that area. Sometimes you don’t have anyone to help you, and you sink right in the mud. If you cross while someone is passing by, sometimes they will get you out of the mud. And unfortunately also sometimes we go and sleep in the jungle. We are traveling distances where you get to a forest, and it’s something like 1 o’clock AM.

With memories sinking in, Elijah reiterated this.

“1:00 in the morning! Your feet are tired and you are exhausted. You take your thin, little sheet and lay it out on the ground. You take your bucket and lay your head on it as a pillow, you spend the night in the middle of the jungle on edge.I shook my head and let a brief “wow” out.

It has been an incredible challenge. There are a lot of stories. Lots of things we can say about the challenges we are going through in Liberia - it has been a big challenge.

Unajua, nilikuwa nimesikia hadithi za Baiskeli za Jungle hapo awali, na ilisikika kama kusafiri kwa gnarly. Je, kuna kijiji au wilaya maalum ambayo ilikuwa vigumu sana kupata?

Naam, kaunti ya mwisho tuliyoenda, ambayo ilikuwa ngumu sana kupata, ilikuwa Sinoe. Hii ilikuwa changamoto kubwa kwetu.

Je, utaelezea njia?

Tulitumia baiskeli za jungle! Kutoka mahali ninapoishi hadi Sinoe, inachukua hadi masaa 15. Unapofika Kakata, unaingia kwenye barabara ya vumbi hadi mahali karibu na uwanja wa ndege, karibu saa 1 25 dakika ya gari. Kutoka uwanja wa ndege, wewe detour upande wa kushoto kwa mahali paitwayo Decana, ambayo ni kuhusu 2.5 masaa juu ya barabara. Mara moja huko Decana, tungepumzika kwa karibu saa moja, na kisha tuondoke kwenye kaunti nyingine inayoitwa Rivercess. Hiyo itachukua wewe kama masaa 5, katika giza, kwenye barabara mbaya sana. Barabara mbaya sana. Unapofika Rivercess, chukua detour kwenye haki yako ya kuelekea Sinoe.

Hii ni sawa na masaa 8. Wakati mwingine mvua inanyesha na barabara ni mbaya, lakini lazima uende.

Haiwezi kwenda kwenye maeneo rahisi. Lazima uende kwenye kila kona, sivyo?

You’re right.
Elijah and I wrapped up our conversation celebrating the completion of the Border-to-Border project, addressing anticipated problems, and expressing our gratitude for all hands involved. After mutual waves, I closed the WhatsApp window to see the Central Oregon sun filtering in through backyard ponderosas. In gratitude, I thought of my new friend a few oceans away returning to his community with veils of dappled, jungled light.
At Sawyer, we believe every person deserves clean water. Thank you, Pastor Elijah, The Last Well, and the network of people who helped make this dream a reality for the entire country of Liberia.  

For more on The Liberia Project, head to sawyer.com/liberia.