KONDESU, GBARPOLU COUNTY – On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, joy erupted across Kondesu, a remote forest town in Liberia’s Belleh District, as the community witnessed an event once thought impossible: the arrival of high-speed internet. The installation of Starlink Wi-Fi at the Kondesu Clinic triggered a wave of jubilation so intense it rivaled a festival. Women danced. Men sang. Children clapped. And even the normally reserved staff of the clinic kicked up dust on the dance floor.
One middle-aged midwife, overwhelmed with emotion, grabbed her sasa—a traditional instrument used in celebration—and dashed through town. “They na bring Wi-Fi here ooo!” she shouted with glee to bewildered onlookers. That midwife, known as Kpana, soon had a crowd trailing her to the clinic grounds where disbelief turned into celebration. “They have taken us by surprise,” she sang, lifting the first song in what would become a spontaneous community performance. BK, Gorlo, and the Officer-In-Charge of the Kondesu Clinic—none of whom are known for dancing—were the first to join her. The crowd roared with laughter and cheers as the three men swayed rhythmically in the dust, honoring the technicians as they mounted the Starlink dish.
But beyond the dust and drums lies a deeper truth about what this moment means for Kondesu. Nestled in the tropical interior of Gbarpolu County, Kondesu Clinic serves as a medical lifeline to nearly 7,000 people—not only from the host town but also from hard-to-reach neighboring communities like Gatima, Lowoma, Sassasu, Gouma, and Gbeyankai. Patients also come from across the county border in Lofa—from Loboba, Kpankpanbu and Kondehun. For many, the clinic is the only accessible source of healthcare, even if that access means hours-long treks on foot or hammock journeys through thick jungle.
The clinic itself is not accessible by ambulance or ordinary vehicles. The road network is practically nonexistent. So when services halted in November 2020 due to unpaid staff incentives, the consequences were dire. Support staff, frustrated after two years without pay, walked off the job. Soon, all the personnel had left. The clinic closed. Pregnant women, malaria patients, and infants were left without care. For months, the forest swallowed cries for help with no one to hear them.
Though services eventually resumed under the Ministry of Health’s oversight, support remained thin. In 2022–23, medical supplies were delivered intermittently via the Kuwaa Mission in partnership with the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL). The clinic, though modest, became a symbol of resilience: a hub of maternal care, immunizations, emergency treatment, and health education in a region too often overlooked.
But the road to stability has been rough. In 2023, a tragic delivery accident wiped out a shipment of critical medical supplies en route to Kondesu. Still, hope pressed forward. Through the World Bank’s Performance-Based Financing (PBF) program—where funding is tied to measurable results—the clinic began to see change. The floors were tiled, the perimeter fenced. But one obstacle remained untouched: connectivity.
For decades, the LOKOGASA region—short for Loboba, Kondesu, Gatima and Sassasu—had no phone signal. No mobile network. No radio communication. In a medical emergency, the only option was to send someone on a motorcycle, often through flooded paths or across fallen trees. Coordination of specimen transfers or referrals was severely limited. Fuel shortages further crippled outreach efforts.
Then came the Starlink equipment, donated by a son of the soil, Mr. Samuka Kpissay. His gift did not just bring internet—it brought connection. With the Starlink system now active, healthcare workers can consult specialists, submit reports, and manage referrals in real time. Students in the town can finally begin to experience the digital world. Teachers can download lesson plans. Midwives can join webinars. Mothers can make emergency calls. And for the first time since Liberia’s founding, the people of Kondesu can see themselves as part of a wider, connected nation.
“This is not just Wi-Fi,” said one clinic worker during the installation. “This is the world coming to meet us.”
But much work remains. Transportation remains a critical challenge. Patients in need of specialized care still face harrowing journeys. The clinic still operates with limited resources. And the fragile health infrastructure across Gbarpolu continues to depend on fragile partnerships and goodwill.
Still, the mood in Kondesu is one of gratitude and hope. Thanks to Mr. Kpissay’s intervention, a forgotten clinic has entered the digital age. And with every email sent, video played, or call made, a message rings clear across the forest canopy: Kondesu is no longer cut off. The world is listening.
