The First Lady of Liberia, Madam Clar Marie Weah, has begun the construction of the ‘City of Hope’ which will endeavor to restore the hope of a better life through education for disadvantaged girls and youth.
It will comprise recreational and vocational training centers, primary school, and dormitories, among others.
Speaking in the regular press briefing at the Ministry of Information, the spokesman of the First Lady, Arthur Douglas, disclosed that Madam Weal’s dream is to educate over 200 girls and transform disadvantaged youths, street girls, and wayward children as well as empower women at this facility.
“The First Lady is confident in making this dream a reality,” Douglas stressed.
According to him, Madam Weah is currently headed for Buchanan in Grand Bassa County to assess major projects being implemented under her watch, which include the thirty self-contained bedrooms for elderly and people with disability and orphanages that have been renovated under her initiative.
He noted that she is trying to see the quality of work done so far in order to approve them for dedication.
Douglas revealed that one school and over eight orphanages have been renovated and refurbished to higher standards which are fully completed, while several others have been identified and are ongoing.
He noted that these interventions by the First Lady are not just giving the children conducive residential and learning environments, but to also give them hope for a better and brighter future.
Orphanages and schools that have been renovated are located in Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties and include the Francis Gaskin Orphanage on the GSA Road in Paynesville; in Brewerville is the Diana E. Davis Orphanage, the Amazing Grace Orphanage situated along the SKD Boulevard, in Paynesville; and My Brother’s Keeper orphanage located in Careysburg.
In Barnersville, the Calvary Orphanage and school and the Center for the Aged orphanage while in Buchanan is the God’s Heritage and The Children’s Village Orphanages, said Douglas.
In addition to the renovations, he said that Mrs. Weah, through her Office, has maintained regular food and non-food supplies to more than 20 orphanages in Montserrado and Grand Bassa counties, stressing that “we have also extended to Nimba and Bomi counties, among others.
Douglas pointed out that the Firat Lady believes that adequate food is essential for a healthy life.
First Lady’s spokesman added that for 15 consecutive months she has begun Elderly Feeding program and still counting, while the First Lady, through her Office, continues to feed over 2,000 elderly or senior citizens, stating that the number is now increasing with teen mothers and other less fortunate people usually taking advantage of the program.
Douglas said this initiative is done every last Thursday in the month, as “the social services team in the office of the First Lady distributes assorted food rations, to date, nearly 50,000 packages of rice, oil, beans, milk, canned fish and sugar, among others, have been distributed.”
He emphasized that the initiative is also intended to demonstrate the President, and his government’s commitment and “concern about the senior citizens, our underprivileged people, and disadvantaged youths”.
Mrs. Weah’s plan is to replicate this distribution to all the fifteen counties of Liberia so as to “reach out to the elderly across the country and hopefully this will come to pass if we as a nation and people continue to work together and support our government.”
Douglas pointed out that the Clar Hope Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-political organization with a mission “to provide support and create opportunities for women and children to improve their livelihoods in Liberia;” and the vision is to create an equitable Liberia, where women and children are healthy, educated, and fully empowered to live a decent and prosperous life.
Since its establishment, he said, the foundation continues to undertake huge projects for the benefit of the people of Liberia, stressing that the Clar Hope Foundation does not receive or spend government’s money, like the receiving budgetary allocations whatsoever from the government of the Republic of Liberia.
The foundation gets its monies from goodwill gestures by many Liberians in the country and abroad, other well-meaning humanitarian institutions and individuals across the world who believe in the First Lady and the work she does in the interest of the poor and less fortunate.
LINA
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