Finances

During our stay in Switzerland, we have had the same question coming several times : how is your financial situation. Let’s be honest with you. As we are depending on people’s generosity, to talk about our finances means as well dealing with thoughts like “If we tell them we have enough, they might stop supporting us!?”. “If we share that we are not having enough,they might think we are spending too much money !”. In short, transparency seemed to us good and correct. Here is then a few information that might be interesting.

Grateful

We are very grateful. Thanks to your donations, we could cover our budget every single month since we arrived here in Liberia. What a mercy! Thanks to all our donors! We need around 2000$USD/month in Switzerland : insurances for retirement, health insurances, administration fees, travel costs (for our coming and going to Switzerland, 1x/2years).

Regarding our expenses in Liberia (between 2000-2500$USD/month), this includes housing (500$USD), transport and garage, school and child care, house maintenance, annual retreat with SIM, “help-donations” to the Liberians, food and hobbies.

But things here don’t cost a few pennies ! As we went shopping for the first time, we were really surprised to see the costs for things that seem “simple things” to us. Here is a household shopping basket :

Tomato sauce	2.50$USD to 7$USD the jar
Nutella	6 $USD (3.5 $USD in Switzerland) the 350 gr jar, a rare pleasure
Olive oil	from 8$USD per liter (they consume raw palm oil. The taste is very special !)
Butter	3.50$USD /200gr (Margarine is a bit cheaper)
Flour	between 2-5$USD per kg (always add a few bugs !)
Carrot	0.50 for one (~5 $USD per kg, 2 $USD in Switzerland for the same quality)
Tomatoes	0.50 for one (tiny tiny!)
Fresh pineapple	starting at 1$USD in season
Bananas	8-10 bananas for 1$USD
potatoes	4 for 1$USD
Fresh fish	3-4$USD per kg (we eat more fish than meat !)
Rice	0.60 per kg (we have rice at least once a day !)

And a swimming pool day (in hotels, so we need to order food) will be between 70 and 100$USD !

Small information

Since 30 years of war, Liberia produces only few variety of fruits and vegetables. For example, onions, garlic and potatoes are imported !

Here we are. But feel free to contact us for more information.

Melvina, Nicolas, Théotime, Siméon and Gabriel