Since some relative peace returned to the West African state of Liberia for the past three years, and the election of a democratic government, many Liberians in foreign parts have been trading the cozy life in those places for the rugged terrain of war-torn Liberia. 

The country still lacks basic necessities even in the capital, Monrovia, let alone rural Liberia which bore the brunt of the destruction from the fourteen year of one of the world’s brutal civil wars. 

A surprise then that Dr Henry Konowa Jr. made the move not to Monrovia, but to the town of Zorzor, Lofa County in rural Liberia. Until recently, Dr. Konowa resided and worked in the Dallas Fort Worth area in the United States.  

When we met for the first time a few years ago, Dr. Konowa was the hardworking Vice President of the Liberian Community Association of Dallas-Fort Worth. He would always say, not an exact quote “when the opportunity avails itself I am going back to Liberia to participate in the rebuilding process”. The truth, I really thought he was kidding, but now I know he was not. 

Today, Dr. Konowa is the Medical Director of the Curran Lutheran Hospital in Zorzor, Lofa County. 

Curran, owned and operated by the Lutheran Church in Liberia, is a 125-bed hospital, which renders services including pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology, medicine, medical and surgical services to the people of three districts in Lofa County (Zorzor, Salayea and Belle). Like many of the country’s infrastructures, Curran hospital took severe beating from the civil war rendering it very inoperable.   

The hospital has been renovated and in 2007, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf rededicated Curran, and that was when Dr Konowa was asked to come back to Curran Lutheran Hospital as its Medical Director. Yes, I did say “come back”. Dr Konowa is no stranger to Curran. Before the war, he was a staff physician there and also served as Acting Medical Director before fleeing to the United States. 

Dr. Konowa told Running Africa that since he took over the operations of the hospital in 2007, it has come from fifty percent to hundred percent capacity. As a part of its effort to reduce the infant maternal mortality rate, it has reestablished it nursing program, where forty students are currently enrolled in the midwifery program. And with the assistance from USAID – the United States Agency for International Development, the hospital hopes to start a Registered Nurse (RN) program this year. 

He says the people of Lofa County are very grateful for the reopening of the hospital because according to him, no longer do they have to refer patients from the area to Phebe Hospital outside of Suacoco, in neighboring Bong County, a process that in the past in some cases resulted in the death of pregnant women. 

This Faith-base medical institution gets assistance from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. It has as one of its major contributors, the government of Liberia which according to Dr. Konowa provides Curran with 160-thousand United States dollars every year. 

When asked why he traded the comfortable life of the United States for that of remote Zorzor in Lofa County, Dr. Konowa said: “Basically, the sacrificial services that we do render to our people are what get us going everyday.” 

The tough part he says is being away from the family. He is currently in the United States for the holidays. 

Dr. Konowa himself is quick to note that this move is a big challenge, because one may not make the kind of money that you will make working in the United States. 

He reminded Liberians in the Diaspora that the country has a serious brain drain stressing that there is a need for every professional, competent Liberian to go and contribute his or her quota to the country. 

Dr. Konowa challenged Liberians out of the country, “If you can not make it now, also try to give some support in kind, whatever you can to, to help our people.”

Writes, Patrick Manjoe
Running Africa