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By Erik Alsgaard

At the Ganta United Methodist Hospital in Liberia, one out of three people who visit the hospital are there because of malaria. Ninety-five percent of the children who receive blood transfusions because they are anemic, receive the treatment because of malaria.

Those were just some of the statistics presented Feb. 18 by Victor Doolakeh Taryor, a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, who visited the Baltimore-Washington Conference Mission Center as part of his itineration around the conference.

Taryor, a registered nurse and chief administrator at the hospital, shared how support of the hospital can make the difference between life and death.

“We don’t turn anybody away,” he said. “Our hospital is a mission hospital. Our mission is to care for people in extreme poverty. If we don’t have it (a piece of equipment, a medicine, or a treatment), it’s because we don’t have the money. But through the grace of God, we are able to improvise.”

Taryor mentioned the pediatric ward, where staff has laid mats and cots on the floor, allowing more patients to receive treatment, as one such improvisation.

“The Lord was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn,” he said. “We’re trying to make room for everyone who has need.”

The Ganta hospital, Taryor said, offers numerous clinics, many of which are unique outside of Liberia’s national capital, Monrovia. A pre-natal clinic, diabetes clinic, and emergency triage are offered, as well as the country’s only eye and dental clinic outside the capital.

“There are six dentists in all of Liberia,” Taryor said, that serve a population of about 3.5 million. “Five of the six are in Monrovia.”

The hospital is located on the border with Guinea, Taryor said. As a result, the population at the hospital is often comprised of refugees or others with little or no money to pay for services. The hospital’s $90,000 per month budget—small compared to North American counterparts, but staggering in a part of the world where most personal incomes do not top $300 per year — is met by United Methodists and others supporting the mission.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference leads the Northeastern Jurisdiction in missionary giving, said Sharon Leatherman, the Conference Mission Secretary. In 2013, BWC churches contributed $220,196 to support missionaries and $867,277 to support mission projects. According to Leatherman, BWC churches and individuals support 30 missionaries around the world, including Taryor and the hospital.

Churches or individuals who want to contribute may do so  by visiting www.umcmission.org, or by writing a check, made payable to the BWC and writing “For Victor Taryor #3019571” on the memo line, and sending it to the Conference Mission Center. The Ganta United Methodist Hospital is an Advance project, #15080N, and more information may be found at http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/15080N.