How Dry is the Dry Season?

Editor’s Note: Joey Neuhauser, Communications and Operations Officer at Liberia Mission, shares what it’s like to experience the dry season in Liberia, along with the many challenges it presents for the Mission.

Liberia has two seasons each year: dry and rainy. Each season is around 5-7 months in length and each comes with its own set of complications, diseases, and even food.

The dry season began earlier than expected last year. By late November, the gales had died down and moisture was few and far between. The Mission had been having nearly constant water, but those days quickly vanished. I would turn on the water and nothing would come but sputtering droplets.

What does one do in this situation? Well, it’s time to go to the well. It took about 3 minutes to fill a bucket with water. This was never truly a problem, but it was an inconvenience. If this was the only issue, I would not be writing this blog post. But even in the dry season, when it doesn’t rain, it still pours.

The next problem came on the farm. We had no water for the animals. And so began our daily, often twice daily, pilgrimage to the local rivers trying to get enough water for the pigs. There were setbacks on top of the inconvenience of just getting this water. Certain rivers would be flooded with chemicals by local fishermen so they could have an easier time catching their prey. Then, we’d run into the motorcycle washer union who would ask us to pay for the privilege of using their water. The worst days were when the truck would not even run. Then, we had no choice, it was time to go to the well. The children helped us carry it the quarter mile between the well and the farm.

The dry season is also fire season in Liberia. Fires will rage all along the highway, and you’ll find yourself coughing from the smoke. You’ll be sitting in the car, the keke, or on a bike and a wall of smoke will just appear in front of you.

Rain helps a lot by giving us clean water in the water tower and lowers the chance of typhoid. During the dry season, a lot of the water and food was caked in bacteria. You could boil until you were blue in the face and still get sick.

Lastly, the biggest problem with the dry season is that it is so very hot. It can not be overstated, just how uncomfortably warm Liberia can be as a country, and especially during the dry season.

However, there are good things about the dry season. For instance, from November to March the beaches are more fun, there is endless cassava to eat, and you can walk outside without being drenched each day.

But one must understand the truth about Liberia to really empathize with the people. This is a hard country, and not just economically. Even the weather conspires against the people of this nation.

Please keep Liberia in your prayers and try to remember us during the next dry season.

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