By Marie Mulvenna

In Liberia, West Africa, it’s not uncommon to hear natives say they left their mud homes “when the chicken talks” to begin a lengthy hike to Sacred Heart Clinic where they will receive much needed medical care joyfully dispensed by Sister M. Sponsa Beltran of the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis.

The energetic sister is presently enjoying a visit in Atlanta and a reunion with her family, Mrs. Helen Beltran and brothers Father Joseph Beltran, pastor of Corpus Christi parish, and Father Eusebius Beltran, vicar general of the archdiocese and pastor of St. Anthony’s parish.

Liberia has been home for Sister Sponsa for the past three years and she is eagerly awaiting her return in early August to her clinic, where she has spent what she describes as the “happiest days of my life.” Sister radiates enthusiasm and dedication as she talks about her life as a registered nurse in Liberia and the activities of her clinic, which she mans alone from 7:30 each morning until 5 or 6 at night.

Sister describes Liberia as about one-third the size of Georgia. She works in Harper City, a small agricultural district. The people there are extremely poor, with an average monthly income that ranges from $10 to $40. There is no industry; economic conditions are depressed; living conditions are deplorable and illness is rampant. Sister explained that the people practice polygamy and have large families, existing, somehow, in substandard living conditions and sleeping on floors in small mud homes which lack not merely furniture but such basic conveniences as plumbing.

Unsanitary living conditions contribute a great deal to the health problems of the people, Sister said, explaining that the natives are most susceptible to malnutrition, malaria, worms and tuberculosis.

Basically, Sister said, the natives are not aware of the value of foods, have numerous superstitions about food, and often shun such available foods as papaya, bananas and coconut milk because they consider them “rich man’s food.” They often do not till the soil properly and Sister reported efforts are not being made to teach them how to raise soybeans, in hopes this might help expand the customary diet of merely rice.

Sister’s work in West Africa is in conjunction with work being done there for the past 16 years by the SMA Fathers (Society of African Missions) from Tenafly, N.J. In addition to running the local clinic single-handedly, Sister travels into the bush country several times each week in a modified jeep which she drives herself and which prompted her smiling comment: “We certainly don’t have the traffic you do here.”

Although patients at the clinic often pay a fee of 50 cents, Sister explained the average cost of their needs runs between $2 and $7. Some financial aide does come from the Catholic Mission Board on a rotating basis and the religious community also helps support her work. The Liberian government does not help subsidize the work and Sister adds with a laugh, “The only thing we get from the government is their permission to come into the country to work.”

In describing the area, Sister said English was the common language and a great deal of American influence can be seen. She explained that many black people have returned to the section, bringing with them American touches in architecture, names etc. Names of communities such as Philadelphia are not out of the ordinary. The more affluent homes are much like old Southern plantations, Sister reports, adding that even the mailboxes bear striking resemblance to those in the U.S. The flag of Liberia, like ours, comprises the colors of red, white and blue.

The capital city of Monrovia is considered quite modern and the attire and style, at least of the affluent, is similar to that in America. The affluent wears mini skirts and flared pants, the poor are seen in the traditional lapa or cloth wrap. “We have only two classes, poor and rich,” Sister said, explaining the absence of the middle class family in Liberian society.

In the social culture of the area, woman’s role has long been considered that of a servant. She was uneducated, ignorant and little trained for any sort of meaningful position. Sister Sponsa states that this concept is changing and now girls are encouraged to continue their education. Sister has several girls at her clinic who assist her and whom she is encouraging to enter the field of nursing. She says they make fine aides, catch on quickly to her methods and enjoy mimicking her actions and words.

Patients at Sister’s clinic are treated for everything from prenatal care to leprosy. There is little, if any, maternal health care in the area, and many infants die shortly after birth due to infection. Now, Sister states, many are brought to her clinic within hours after birth for care and attention. Many mothers often arrive a month beforehand and stay until after their child is delivered so they can obtain the needed care. The maternal mortality rate has declined considerably as has the infant mortality rate.

Sister Sponsa has baptized a vast number of children; the natives often ask her to “put the water on” the child, sensing it will help them recover from an illness. She explains that the people are quite religious and have been extremely influenced by those who came into the area first – in this instance, the Baptists and Catholics. Their outlook on baptism is that it will help the spirit of the child, although Sister explains that their belief in life after death is not the same as that held by Catholics.

Cases of tuberculosis are treated by the score and in most cases the illness is caused by severe malnutrition. Sister utilizes a treatment she learned at a seminar on the care of TB at Atlanta’s Center for Disease Control. Sister said the handling of malnutrition is actually an educational process and CARE programs in Liberia have helped a great deal in this area. CARE agencies have urged schools to have a lunch program since most of the people can eat only one meal a day.

During a recent cholera outbreak, Sister said many of the people refused to go to a nearby hospital, fearing they would die if they went. She said the hospital did not have the IV (intravenous injections) needed for treatment so she set up IV units all through the clinic for patients to receive help.

“There are so many superstitions about illnesses,” said sister. The common handling of illness is called “witching” and when an illness cannot be explained the natives say the person is witched. Sister related the story of one boy with TB of the bone. Nobody seemed able to find out what was wrong with him and he was considered witched. After caring for him for close to three years, Sister said the youth is now able to walk and earns his own living.

Malaria is a big killer and Sister reported efforts to teach the natives to ward off mosquitoes. She explained that although the disease cannot be cured it can be curtailed and said she “thanks God” for the drug chloroquin which she utilizes in the treatment of malaria. Another “lifesaver” she reports is the drug DDS which is used to treat lepers. Leprosy is quite common in the area but those afflicted are no longer segregated from others. They are, instead, treated with the drug over a long period of time, from five to six years, eventually obtaining a cure of the malady.

When Sister’s clinic opened she cared for 30 to 50 patients a day, a rate that is now 75-150 a day and still growing. Patients think nothing of walking for hours, often leaving their huts at 4 a.m. to reach her clinic by 7:30. Some natives have walked for two or three days to reach the clinic to obtain help.

Before she returns to Liberia, Sister may have the opportunity to see Liberian Bishop Patrick Kla Juwle who is expected to tour Georgia in late July. The bishop is the first Liberian priest to be elevated to the rank of bishop and Sister says he is a “simple and good person.” The Catholic schools in the area have excellent reputations, Sister reports, with over 500 pupils in the elementary school and an equal number in high school. She said each mission established gets a school, church and convent.

Sister speaks in glowing terms of the happiness her missionary life brings her. “I just love it. I loved my religious life and this is the happiest I’ve ever been. It fulfills my life completely,” she says sincerely and humbly. She reviews her background in Philadelphia where she attended Mary Immaculate and Misericordia College.

The Bernardine Sisters are located in Villanova, Pa. And Sister Sponsa had years of experience as a registered nurse in large hospitals in Pennsylvania. “Nursing is my thing,” she says quietly, adding: “It is gratifying to feel you can save a person. You feel so close to God. You merely assess their needs and then help them. It’s a wonderful thing and I’m so happy.”

Obviously eager to return to Liberia, Sister Sponsa relates a number of long range programs she hopes to begin, including a program to train midwives, a project for help teams visiting villages, training of natives for careers in medicine, etc.

Sister has a slide program portraying her work and which is available through Fathers Joe or Zeb Beltran. She has received some aid from Atlanta and was quick to thank those who have aided her work.

Anyone wishing to assist Sister may reach her at Catholic Missions, Harper, Cape Palmas, Liberia, West Africa. “Please don’t send cash,” she asked, “it is pilfered.” She added that even checks have a way of disappearing and said Father Zeb was in the process of establishing a local account for her needs. “He visited me and really saw first hand why I am so happy with my work,” Sister said.

Sister is able to obtain needed drugs in Monrovia, where they are actually cheaper there than in the United States and where many American companies have local distributors.

Although Atlanta’s 90-degree summer days are more like winter days in Liberia, Sister Sponsa is anxious to return. She is a dedicated and joyful person, whose skills as a nurse and whose attributes as a person will continue to endear her to scores of West Africans who have been the beneficiaries of her life’s work.