Francess Johnson
Francess Johnson is a fish trader, and she lives in Fanti Town in Buchanan, Liberia, West Africa.
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Francess Johnson's Life
Francess Johnson is a fish trader, and she lives in Fanti Town in Buchanan, Liberia, West Africa. She wishes for a new cement house with indoor kitchen, showers, toilets, and solar panel to power up daily electricity for her technology devices such as smart phones, and video player to watch movies.
In the early 1970's she attended Lamco International School in Buchanan, for a little while. She has hearing disabilities and some form of dyslexia. Due to ear infections, one of her ear drums were damaged, and some of her teachers ridiculed and belittled her, which discouraged her from learning with her peers.
Since her teenage years, she has struggled to make a living, and to raise her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, in her shanty town shack. During the war years, Francess fled into the interior land with her children, abandoning her home and fish trading business. Her cement home was sprayed heavy artillery, damaging the structure, and her fish trading business was looted.
Upon her return, after the war all that she was left with was a dilapidated shell of her former home, which she patched up the with zinc sheets and sticks. Most of the structure is held together with make shift beams, and the roof is plastered over with zinc sheets. When it rains, the tropical down pour finds it way into the shanty shack, destroying food and belongings.
Now, with the help of generous donors, Francess wishes for financial help to build a new house further up from the shore line. She also wishes for an outdoor kitchen for her dried her fish, and a dry goods storage house to lock up her food supply, and goods for sales in her store front shack on the edge of the road that leads into her courtyard.
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Francess Johnson
Francess Johnson standing in front of the Mango Tree which in the middle of her court yard. In the background is her shack and it sits on the edge of sea shore line.
The Grand Children
Some of Francess grandchildren and nieces standing in the door way.
Francess Niece and Baby
Francess teenage niece holding her new born baby, just embarking on life as a young mother, while living in challenging circumstances.
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Francess House
During the Liberian Civil War, Francess fled into the hinterland with her family. She abandoned her cement house and fishing business. Her house was destroyed and her business looted. All she had left to come home to was a bullet ridden house, which she patched up with zinc sheets, sticks, and ply wood. From then on she struggle to make a decent living. Over the years, the part of the frame of the house has gradually swept away by sea erosion.
The Front of the House
The front of Francess house and kitchen faces the shore line. The sea eroded one third of her cement house destabilizing the foundation leaving fallen walls. She built a make shift kitchen in the shed area.
The Back of the House
Francess dwelling is now a dilapidated shack. She lives there with her children, grand children, nieces and nephews, they struggle daily to make a living.
The Front of the House Faces The Sea Shore
The front of the house overlooks the Atlantic Ocean coast line, where the Fanti fishermen are preparing to go on deep sea fishing.
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Wide Angle View of Francess Court Yard
Francess House sit on the main road heading into Fanti Town in Buchanan along Atlantic Street. This is a wide angle view of her court yard, with a sand packed driveway, running into the huge Mango Tree taking up a lot of space on the land. This towering tree is slated to be cut down to make room for Francess new three bed room house. The Francess yellow shanty shack is her little make shift store selling fish and more.
Store Shack
.The Francess yellow shanty shack is her little make shift store selling fish and more.
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Francess Sons Getting Ready to Chop Tree Branches
The Mango Tree needs to be cut down. During the raining season, the big tree branches can destroy the new house, and the rotten tree root will damage the house foundation. Francess' son in the bright yellow shirt is holding the axe, while his brother wraps the rope around his shoulder. It's used to pull the branches to ground. Francess sons are very brave and courageous, along with neighborhood youth contributing to the cutting of the tree branches with axes. Ropes are used to tie the branches, and the ground crew pull on the chopped branch to pull is in the direction of the shacks and sheds.
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The Mango Tree Trunk
In the middle of Francess courtyard, the Mango Tree with its towering branches hangs over the shacks, sheds, and more. It has to be cut down to make room for Francess new three cement house closer to the road side, and far away from the ocean shoreline. The tree branches, trunk, leaves is turned into fire wood for more than a year to dry fish, cook food, boil water, take showers, and a whole lot more.
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Francess Sons Climbs Tree Trunk
In the middle of Francess courtyard, the Mango Tree with its towering branches hangs over the shacks, sheds, and more. It has to be cut down to make room for Francess new three bedroom cement house closer to the road side, and far away from the ocean shoreline.
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Tree Branches Chopped Down
After the Mango Tree branches are cut down, one power saw man cuts down the tree trunk with, and another crew member work on digging up roots of the tree. This is a team effort led by Francess House project manager Mr. Christian T Williams, a former LAMCO engineer, and now a rail way engineer for ArchelorMittal, operating the old mines in Yekepa, Nimba.
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Francess Chops Tree Branches
In Fanti Town, Francess House sits near the entrance of the township. Her house, once a three bedroom cement house, is now a dilapidated shell, plastered up with zinc sheet, plywood, beans and sticks. One half has been ravaged by the war years, and the sea crouched taken away the walls and sheet roof tied to beams inside the kitchen shed and remain house roof fame.
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Market Women Selling Fresh Fish
Early in the morning, the market women fish trading shed in Francess court yard is always bustling with life. Business savvy fish trading ladies stake their ground to sell the fish catch of the day. It’s a delicate dance between the area market women and their customers. Lots of bargaining skills are needed. The women work independently with establish fishermen. They buy their daily catch of the ocean bounty, and resell it in the shed to the general public.
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The Market Women Shed
In the middle of Francess courtyard, the Mango Tree with its towering branches hangs over the shacks, sheds, and more. It has to be cut down to make room for Francess new three bedroom cement house closer to the road side, and far away from the ocean shoreline.
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Mr. Christian T. Williams
Mr. Christian T. Williams is our project manager. He is a former LAMCO engineer, and now works as a rail engineer for ArchelorMittal that operates the old LAMCO mine in Yekepa, Nimba. He is sitting with Ashley Warner.
Mr. Ashley Warner
Mr. Ashley Warner is the civil engineer on our project. He works at ArchelorMittal. Here he is on site reviewing the foundation, land and building plans.