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Next Idea
Please –
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Diesel
Generator Sales – The entire country of Liberia currently runs off of
generators and will continue to do so until a major power plant is built
and the power grid infrastructure is rebuilt. That is not likely to happen soon. In the mean time there is a good market
for diesel generators. Could we
purchase and ship used generators to Liberia at a cost that would
still allow for a profit in their sale?
Could we join together with other ministries to make this possible
or to develop demand? Business
Champions Needed
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Beach
Resort – We spent some time at the beach in Greenville during the recent trip and it
is absolutely gorgeous. No one much
lives on the ocean (not sure why) and I understand the ocean front land is
cheap. We dreamed of starting a nice
resort for tourists on the beach in Greenville
where it’s only a short ride to the nature preserve which would be a big
draw. Perhaps there is the
opportunity to partner with someone like Marriott to do this while land is
still available and cheap. If you
have contacts within the luxury resort community please let us know.
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Rabbits
as Protein Source – Rabbits can be raised in confined spaces, eat almost
any green plants, reproduce rapidly and can be shipped over by air for a
reasonable fee. In addition the
pelts have some market value when properly prepared. Given the Village’s location in the
middle of a forest area which is constantly being overtaken by plant life,
there should be no cost of feed for the rabbits. The manpower to care for the rabbits
already exists in the form of the orphans under our care. The need for a renewable source of
protein is high and the cost to prepare cages is low. Could someone prepare a plan to
accomplish this effort?
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Low
Investment Businesses – Could we set up Christian Liberians in a
series of low initial investment businesses (shops, services, etc.) and
require that they repay over the long term by consistent funding of the
Children’s Village program. The
Lebanese currently operate most of the businesses in Liberia and
pull out the profits from the country.
Our model could be one of education, self reliance and investment in
the Liberian people and economy. Is
there value in setting up Liberian Christians as the dominant force in the
country’s financial structure?
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Farm
Cooperative – Could we help the Liberian people set up a farmer’s
cooperative system like we have in the rural U.S. that would provide an
economical way for their agricultural infrastructure to expand? (Top)
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Construction
Equipment – Would it be possible to provide equipment and training
to allow a Liberian Ministries construction company to be formed for roads,
buildings, etc. Sooner or later they
are going to have to fix their roads and bridges to the outlying areas. (Top)
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Fishing
Fleet – Lincoln Brownell
mentioned that fishing was good business.
Liberia
has a lengthy coastline. Could a
fleet of fishing boats be supplied to provide a new revenue source? (Top)
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Car/Equipment
Dealership – Toyota is one of the
only new vehicle dealerships in Monrovia. The Lebanese community tends to control
the used vehicle import business.
Would Nissan, Land Rover or some other company supply a dealership
opportunity for us? Also, what about
equipment? Caterpillar, Bobcat, etc.
might all find a demand as well.
Maybe a combination of product dealerships. (Top)
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Land
Acquisition – It appears that ocean front land can be had quite
inexpensively. Should we be pulling
people together to purchase this type of land for the long term? (Top)
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Power
Generation – There are many 1,000 kw plus diesel generator systems
available within the U.S. Would it be financially feasible to put
such system into place within Monrovia
as revenue earners? (Top)
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Wind and
Solar Power Generation – The efficiency of both solar and wind
systems are getting better each year.
The U.S.
has a large number of wind mill farms on line across the country. With the long coast line and most of the
cities are located along it, would it be financially feasible to use a
combination of the two and sell the electricity? Also, for our own use in Karmo Town could solar power replace
diesel generators? It costs $20,000+
in fuel alone to run a 20kw diesel generator 24/7. It looks like the initial purchase cost
to generate the same 20kw using solar costs $60,000 - $80,000 in up front
equipment but the long term costs could be very low. Could we open a business supplying these
types of products? Could we join
together with other African ministries to reduce costs?
Solar
Panel Construction Business – Is the extremely high cost of solar
power generation equipment due to the materials cost, labor, profit taking,
etc.? To the extent that labor is a
significant factor, would it be possible to set up assembly facilities in
Liberia where the labor cost is extremely low and the people are in
desperate need of jobs? (Top)
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Transportation
– Can we put enough trucks in place to begin a country wide distribution
service purchasing food and other products in the outlying areas and non
farm items within Monrovia? Could we establish a major farming
economy by making this movement of goods possible? (Top)
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