PRESIDENT's STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
Delivered at the
19th National Convention - 2009
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Read Board Chairman's Remarks delivered at 2009 Convention
Mr. Alfred M. Dousuah, President
Officials of various Governments,
Distinguished Guests,
Friends & Supporters of UNIBOA,
The Chairman & Members of the Board of Directors,
UNIBOA Chapter Leaders,
Members of the UNIBOA General Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Officials of Governments Present Distinguished Guests Friends & Supporters of UNIBOA The Chairman & Members of the Board of Directors UNIBOA Chapter Leaders Members of the UNIBOA General Assembly Ladies and Gentlemen:
Fellow Members and Supporters of the United Bassa Organization in the America, UNIBOA, I once again greet and welcome you on behalf of the UNIBOA family. The Vice President, Mr. Scott Mandeh and members of the Executive Committee join me in extending our warmest welcome and wish you a joyous and successful convention.
We remain optimistic that this convention will be a great success. I like to express my heartfelt appreciations to the officers and members of UNIBOA Pennsylvania Chapter for taking on this compassionate task of hosting the 19th National Convention of UNIBOA. The theme of this Convention is ‘Working to Bridge the Gap’.
Once again, we meet to celebrate another milestone in the history of UNIBOA. Nearly two decades ago we created this organization in order to help meet the dire needs of our people following the onset of the brutal civil war in Liberia, our homeland. Much has been accomplished since than but the challenges remain. At this moment, we find ourselves faced with the new challenges of the era. To maintain our effectiveness into the future, we must reform our strategy to meet the needs of our people in the Post-war Liberia era, direct our attention to the needs our members, and recommit to our purpose; this must become our priority. My fellow members and supporters, these are the challenges of the moment and forward. Bridging the gap must begin at this convention. We hope that the divine hands of the Almighty continuous to guide us in our mission forward.
Building a better UNIBOA remains our most important mission. While we may not share a common past, we certainly share a common future and UNIBOA represents the pillar of commonality into that future. In my view, UNIBOA has become more than just an organization; it has become the most powerful institution in the history of the Bassa people in the Diaspora. To preserve and strengthen this institution is our shared responsibility. This convention should be the “steppingstone” into bridging the gap to a better future.
To our patrons, we greatly appreciate your supports and ask you to remain supportive. Your generous supports of our programs and projects have helped change many lives for the better. We could not have provided the so needed assistance without your generous supports.
To our members around the States, your dedications, commitments and contributions to UNIBOA are highly appreciated by everyone, especially the recipients of our assistance. We encourage you to remain supportive and committed. The mouths you have fed, the body you have clothed, the minds you have enlightened, the wounds you have helped healed and the hopes you have restored are all greatly appreciated and we are thankful to you.
As my two-year term of office comes to a close, I wish to convey my heartfelt appreciations to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mrs. Mydea Reeves-Karpeh and members of the Board of Directors for their cooperation. To all those who have worked tirelessly to make UNIBOA a respectable organization, I say thank you.
Members of the General Assembly
National Officers and Chapter Leaders
Chairman and Members of the Board of Directors
Patrons and Friends of UNIBOA
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:I am pleased to declare, with pride and confidence, that our UNION remains strong and vibrant. There have been some challenges along the way but the blissful hand of the Almighty God continues to guide our humanitarian mission. In summary, the overall affairs of the Union have been handled significantly well during the course of our one-year of leadership.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR:
Chapter update:
9 chapters out of the 11 are fully operational, 2 are not. The good news is a new chapter has been added. Amoh-Bedo was granted charter status following its acceptance at the Board of Directors meeting in Rhode Island on September 27, 2008. We will continue effort to have the 2 chapters operational by the end of 2009.
Finances:
Your funds have been well managed. The voucher system remains forcefully in effects.
Programs / projects:
The Nursing program: only 5 out of the 9 original students remain enrolled with 1 on probation. 2 out of the 5 are scheduled for graduations this August. The nursing scholarship program remains fully funded.
Orphanage Support:
1 out of the 3 orphanages received support from UNIBOA this year. The remaining 2 were dropped from our recipients’ roster due to their inability to maintain accreditations. However, added to the orphanage recipient are 3 schools.
We added 3 schools from Rivercess County to the recipients’ roster for 2009. They are the Timbo District Elementary School, the Darsaw Town Elementary School and the Cestos High School in Rivercess County. These schools were among the recipient of teachers’ salaries payments under the Dahnsaw administration.
The Community Center:
The community Center project in Lower Buchanan remains dormant while we modify the building plan and explore appropriate funding source. The good news is, that the Land granted to UNIBOA remains preserved for UNIBOA
Bereavement donations:
We extended bereavement donations to bereaved members of our chapters in Texas and Minnesota. May God continue to comfort those families.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is our state of the Union. Meanwhile, we are working on plan and strategy aim at bridging the gap, and programs and projects aim at a brighter future. We highly anticipate your unwavering participation and continuous support. Let this convention be the “steppingstone” into bridging the gap to a better future.
I would like to leave you with the words of John Andrews Holmes “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people”.
May the Almighty God guide and direct the affairs of the celebration of the 19th National Convention. Wish you peace, blessings and safe journeys.
May God bless UNIBOA, may God bless Liberia, and may God bless America.
Alfred M. Dousuah
National President, UNIBOA, Inc.
