By: Edwin N. Khakie
Residents of Queyah Town are making a passionate appeal to their lawmaker, Rep. J. Marvin Cole, the Bong County administration, and philanthropic organizations to intervene and provide the basic infrastructure and social services that have long been lacking in the community.
Situated in the heart of Jorquelleh District #3, Queyah Town is home to approximately 300 people—men, women, and children who have endured years of hardship due to severe neglect and a lack of public investment.
Despite being part of one of Bong County’s most populous districts, the town remains without a functioning school, healthcare center, safe drinking water, or accessible road network.
During an exclusive interview with The New Dawn over the weekend, Mr. John Cooper, Youth President Advisor of the town, painted a grim picture of daily life for residents, especially the younger population.
“We feel abandoned,” Mr. Cooper said. “Our children are the ones suffering the most. They walk nearly an hour every morning and evening just to attend school in neighboring communities. It’s a serious challenge during the rainy season when the roads become muddy and dangerous.”
Education is not the only crisis gripping Queyah Town. Mr. Cooper revealed that the town’s only source of clean water—a single hand pump—has been out of order for months. As a result, residents are forced to drink and cook with untreated creek water, which poses significant health risks.
“People are fetching water from the same stream animals use,” he noted. “Children are getting sick, and we have no clinic to take them to—not even for basic medical care. If someone falls seriously ill, we have to carry them in hammocks or on motorbikes for miles.”
The situation is further compounded by the lack of a proper road, which isolates the community during the rainy season, making emergency transport, agriculture, and trade extremely difficult. Mr. Cooper also highlighted the absence of a town hall, saying it hinders community coordination and youth engagement.
The residents are now calling on local authorities, including District #3 Representative J. Marvin Cole, the Bong County Legislative Caucus, and Superintendent Loleya Hawa Norris, to take immediate steps toward improving living conditions in Queyah Town.
They are also appealing to national ministries, particularly the Ministries of Education, Health, and Public Works, as well as to NGOs and faith-based organizations, to include the town in their development planning and outreach efforts.
“We are not asking for luxuries,” Mr. Cooper stressed. “All we want are the basics—a school where our children can learn, a clinic where our mothers can deliver safely, clean water to drink, and a road that connects us to the rest of the county. These are basic human rights.”
The dire state of Queyah Town mirrors the broader struggles of many rural communities across Liberia, where citizens continue to be deprived of basic services. Despite decades of promises from politicians and government officials, towns like Queyah remain trapped in poverty and underdevelopment.
As Liberia moves toward achieving its national development agenda and decentralization efforts, residents are urging leaders to walk the talk and ensure that no community, regardless of its location, is left behind.
“Development should not only be for the cities,” Mr. Cooper concluded. “We, too, are Liberians. We deserve better.”
The outcry from Queyah Town is a clarion call not only to the Bong County administration but to all stakeholders involved in rural development. The residents say the time for empty promises is over—what they need now is action. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
