By Lincoln G. Peters
The President of Liberia National Rural Women, Ma-kabeh Monger, is encouraging women across the country, especially rural women, to launch a holistic campaign in various communities to tackle drugs and substance abuse.
Speaking on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, during the program marking the celebration of International Rural Women, she said that she is planning to launch a holistic anti-drug awareness campaign in the fifteen counties of Liberia, which will enable mothers to lead the charge in getting their children from on drug.
‘’Please, I don’t want you referring to our children on drugs as unserious and dirty because they are having a family like you. The same pain you took is what the other lady took, and so, please be your sister’s keeper. I want to launch this anti-drug campaign in our fifteen counties. We mothers who give our children taytay water, we can take them from on drugs. If your sister’s child is on drugs, it’s your child too,’’ she concluded.
On Tuesday, Liberia National Rural Women joined the world in the celebration of International Rural Women’s Day under the theme: Rural women confront global cost-of-living crisis. The program, which was held at the Lutheran Compound 13th Street, brought together hundreds of rural women.
During the celebration, the mothers paraded Sinkor Avenue with musical bad playing traditional songs, with encouragement that the future of Liberia is still possible with the involvement of women.
According to her, there are no counties in Liberia that do not have ghettos and drug addicts. Therefore, it’s now time that mothers put their feet down in their various communities to combat drug proliferation.
She further indicated that children who are on the street can only be removed from the lifestyle they are in by their mothers because they are the ones who breastfeed them.
Ma-Monger said that Liberia is gradually losing a whole generation of youthful leaders to drugs, something she believes poses serious threats to the health, security, peace, protection, and well-being of the state and its people.
‘’ The children that smoking in the ghetto is getting bad. There are no counties in Liberia that don’t have a ghetto. I want you people to launch a campaign to rescue our children in your various communities. I don’t want you to make palaver with them. You have to make friends with them because some of them they are into that because of peer pressure. Tell them, my child, this thing you are doing is not good, and they will listen,’’ Ma-monger urged.
She recommended that they lead a joint anti-drug awareness in Liberia’s fifteen counties to address what she described as a pandemic.
