Saturday, March 9, 2013

Tour of Firestone Rubber Tree Plantation

We arranged with the Director of Public Affairs at the Firstone rubber tree plantation for our senior missionaries to get a tour of their operation.  We went to their headquarters which is near the airport and near the Harbel mission branch.  There are over 119,000 acres of rubber trees in this plantation.  Firestone started in Liberia in 1926.  In 2008, Firestone negotiated a "concessionary agreement" with the Liberian government allowing them to operate through 2041.

Firestone provides 27 schools for 16,000 children of Firestone employees at no cost.  Firestone hospital (the best hospital in Liberia, we've been told by American doctors) treats 9,000 patients/month.  They provide homes for employees.  They've rennovated 2,000 homes since "the cessation of hostitilites" in 2003 when the Liberian civil war ended.

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