About UNIBOA
Welcome to Our History & Other Background Awareness
Our Projects
UNIBOA Health First Clean Water Initiative: Our people living in most towns and villages are affected by lack of access to clean and safe drinking water, a situation which is a high risk for acquiring diseases leading to fatalities. The UNIBOA HEALTH FIRST CLEAN WATER INITIATIVE has made a difference in the lives our people in Doe Wein Town, Electoral District #5, Grand Bassa County. We are poised base on the need of our brothers and sisters to provide their condition with safe and clean water in the Bassa Counties. Today, we are pleased to report that the Hand Pump Initiative in Doe Whein Town, Grand Bassa County was completed in October 2013 and is fully in use. Before the construction of the Hand Pump, the villagers were drinking from unsafe streams.
Our clean and safe water initiative has brought significant relief to the people. Because of hard working members, UNIBOA has made a difference in lives of the people of Doe Whein Town. Below is the picture of the Hand Pump surrounded by a crossed section of the people of Doe Whein Town.
Our Vision
Our vision is to make our Bassa Speaking Counties of Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Margibi and Montserrado, through our committed initiatives of education and healthcare a better environment for our people and all Liberians who reside in these counties.
As a group, we must acknowledge the dynamics of our strengths and the opportunities afforded us in America to advocate and seek assistance for a conducive learning environment for the younger generation of our counties and country as a whole. The challenges ahead are enormous and real, to confront and overcome some, UNIBOA will maintain an abiding commitment to work in partnership with other donor groups both in the United States and in Liberia to make our vision a reality through advocacy for a safe environment and conducive educational and healthcare communities for our people.
Health and Medicine
Liberia, prior to the civil war, had few private and public hospitals and clinics. One of the major public hospitals is the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. This hospital serves as a feeder, providing training for young Liberians in several medical disciplines ranging from nurses to doctors. These medical personnel in turn are sent into the counties to provide and assist in the caring for the Liberian citizenry. Although the counties’ hospitals are few and not fully equipped and sub-standard, they provide basic medical and health needs for the people. Today, they are malfunctioning with few medical staff, few beds, out-dated medical and surgical equipments and lack of efficient records keeping. UNIBOA encourages you to help improve the devastating conditions in Liberia. Please help with donation of any of these items: -Bandages, Crutches, Antibiotics, Vaccines, Maternity supplies, Surgical supplies, Laboratory equipments & supplies, First Aid kits, Dentistry materials, Wheel chairs
Our History
The story is told that Before “UNIBOA”, there was the “Bassa Progressive League”. The Bassa Progressive League was founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1972 by a group of Bassonians headed by Mr. Jucontee Thomas [Smith] Woewiyu as its first President. The organization was more of a social clique which brought together people of the Bassa ethnic group in the Brooklyn-Manhattan areas of New York City. The primary goal was to protect and promote the cultural heritage of the Bassa people in the Diaspora.
The formation of the Bassa organization was inspired by the tremendous effort made by author, Alex Hailey in his research that led to the famous book and movie, “ROOT”. The inspirational motive at the time was, “given Liberia’s history of emphasis on its American slave heritage, if the Bassa people in Liberia did not protect and promote their own heritage, it could get lost”. The founders of the Bassa organization wanted to spare generations of Bassonians in the future of the “ROOT” syndrome.
The Bassa organization was the first ethnically based Liberian organization in the Americas. The formation of the Bassa organization gave impetus to other ethnic organizations such as the Kru, “I win Na”, the Grand Gedeh Association, Nimba Citizen Council, the Lofa and Mandingo Association, etc.
Because of shrinking membership as members sought and changed localities in the quest for better employment opportunities and other dreams, the organization was disbanded after few years of its existence.
The process of forming The United Bassa Organizations of the Americas (UNIBOA) begun in the great city of Newark, New Jersey on December 10, 1983 by concern citizens of the Bassa counties of Liberia living in New York and New Jersey metro areas who met and discussed the formation of a Bassa organization. The organization was originally named “Blojay” (meaning in the Bassa dialect, “Because of or for the sake of homeland”. The late Rev. Dr. Samuel Snelborough of Newark, New Jersey was chosen to be the Interim- Chairman until a National Election was held.
The First National Convention of “Blojay” was held on February 27, 1984 in Providence, Rhode Island. Mr. Eric Brown of North Carolina was elected the first National President. The title “Khaan Venneh” was conferred on the President as an official title for the presidency of the National Body and “Khaan” for the local chapters, respectively, instead of the traditional title “President”. The original chapters were: North Jersey, South Jersey, Rhode Island, and North Carolina. Its operations subsided due to lack of funding and internal quarrel after a protracted period of existence.
On October 20, 1990, at the home of Mr. Z. Jerome Gayman, a former President of the North Jersey Chapter, in the great City of Irvington, New Jersey, a meeting was held to brainstorm the re-organization of “Blojay” with two members from New York and four members from Newark, New Jersey, they agreed to re-organize on the national level. An Interim Committee was set up to spearhead the reformation. Mr. Hitler Harvey of New York City was elected as Interim Chairman and Mr. Jermaine Boyd Smith of Newark, New Jersey as Co-chairman.
On January 5, 1991, the Interim Committee hosted an all Bassa conference in Newark, New Jersey to discuss the finishing touches of the proposed re-organization. The conference brought together people of the Bassa counties residing in New York City, Trenton, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
At this conference, the Chairman of the D.C. Bassa organization, Mr. Joseph D. Sinyan informed the body that his organization, the “United Bassa Association of Washington D.C.” has been in existence for six years and on behalf of his people in Washington D.C, he was willing to annex his organization as a chapter of the newly re-organized national body.
The Re-organizing Committee unanimously agreed to accept the United Bassa Association of Washington DC as a chapter and subsequently was selected to host a forum at which a new constitution was to be drafted.
Other Values
FROM “BLOJAY” TO “FEBCA”:
On March 9, 1991, a Constitution Forum proposed by the Re-organizing Committee at a meeting held in Newark was convened in Washington D.C. to draft a new constitution. At this meeting, the following names were suggested for the national body: (a) Federation of Bassa Counties of the Americas; (b) Bassa Community; (c) Bassa Communities of the Americas; (d) The Federation of Bassa Communities in the Americas; (e) Union of Bassa Counties in the Americas. The name selected was “Federation of Bassa Counties in the Americas (FEBCA)”. The name “FEBCA” was the name for the national body used in the Preamble of the constitution that was drafted at the Forum.
FROM “FEBCA” TO “UNIBOA”:
On April 13, 1991, The Bassa People Organization of Trenton, New Jersey hosted the second Constitution Forum, in a Work Session, the national body was renamed from “FEBCA” to “United Bassa Organizations in the Americas (UNIBOA). The aim was to reflect and include all Bassa organizations within the United States and Canada. The change of name has encouraged many Liberian citizens from the Bassa Speaking Counties residing in other states to organize chapters of UNIBOA. Currently, UNIBOA has fourteen member chapters and the addition of other chapters is in progress.