By: SHALLON S. GONLOR
NIMBA COUNTY — It is well known that education is a foundational pillar to success in life, yet children often find themselves unable to maximize the benefit of their school years. This can be because of a lack of school near them, a lack of time to attend school, or because of a lack of the supplies they need to thrive in the classroom. This issue is common for rural schools in Nimba County and other parts of Liberia including low-income countries.
Accordingly, Alliance for Girls Empowerment (AGE), a community-led organization has identified and prioritized issues affecting children’s education.
The institution, AGE among a series of issues confronting school-going kids identified access to education, sanitary care, and sexual offenses including all forms of violence against women and girls as high-priority that needed intervention.
Dozens of schoolchildren attending the Dahnlorpa Public School, however, on Monday benefited school materials including copybooks, bookbags, pens, and pencils from the Alliance for Girls Empowerment to keep them in school.
Speaking during the donation, the President and Executive Director of Alliance for Girls Empowerment (AGE), Janika Kehyei vowed to make sure that children are properly educated.
She highlighted her inspiring organization’s vision to support children in need, where AGE will continue to school supplies for children, so they will reach their full potential and their bright future.
“My team and I identified with the less-fortunate girls and boys in a school called Dahnlorpa Public School in Sanniquellie City, Nimba County by providing them copybooks, bookbags, pens, and pencils to keep them in school as motivation.
It was such an amazing day doing the right thing at the right time for the right people” said the founder of the Alliance for Girls Empowerment.
Established November 12, 202, AGE is a non-profit girls and young women organization working with partners to solicit and advocate for girls, young women, and youths in giving safe space, equal rights, and equal participation at all levels.
She further noted that her institution’s objective is to create and ensure a safe and peaceful society for all young people in respective of social status, religious, and ethnic background.
“Our goal is to create and ensure a safe and peaceful society for all Young people in respective of social status, religious and ethnic backgrounds” Ms. Kehyei stated.
The community-led organization of Ms. Janika Kehyei in Sanniquellie, Nimba County recently mobilized to provide primary school children with their all-important school supplies.
In all, hundreds of young students received these supplies, and the group considers the project a great success. These children are now able to get so much more out of their opportunity to attend school, helping them break the cycle of poverty.
The project has been so successful in fact that the group that provided these school supplies has pledged to provide even more. There may be another round of distribution to benefit even more schools across Nimba County.
At the same time, another none governmental organization, Girl Power Africa with a mission to empower women and children has put smiles on the faces of school-going kids by providing them with basic school supplies.
Girl Power Africa on Monday embarked on its basic school materials donation to several school-going kids in targeted public schools to promote education and support financially challenged parents.
A student receives a book bag, shoe, copybook, uniform suit, and pencils, including full registration fee payment, and Inter-Malaria medication treatment respectively.
About hundreds of students from vulnerable families in parts of Nimba County are expected to benefit from the Girl Power Africa million fund to aid their secondary education.
The students who learn at various secondary schools in the county are constrained on how to complete their lessons without fees and study their lessons in the absence of needed school materials.
Girl Power Africa (GPA), as part of her 2024- 2025, academy year school materials and fees distribution served over one hundred students.
The beneficiaries are drawn from different schools including, Sopea, Borsonon, Vehyipa, Dahnlorpa, Sanniquellie Central High, Pre-Primary, and Martha Tubman Public Schools.
Making remarks at the donation, the founder of Girl Power Africa (GPA), Madam Bulleh Norkeh, said the surest way to take people from chronic poverty is through education.
Madam Norkeh stressed that her organization aims to educate the present generation which will in turn educate the next generation.
She said by doing so Liberia will have prepared individuals that will serve the country.
Mrs. Norkeh expressed her excitement over the level of improvement GPA students are making by taking leadership roles and taking their lessons seriously in their various schools.
The parents and school administrators of the students have also expressed their gratitude for the life-saving gesture.
The greater purpose of the project was to increase the student’s confidence in the classroom. All of the funds for school supplies came from private individuals. This helps children get the most out of their education, even beyond having the proper supplies for learning.
According to Madam Norkeh, there is no greater gift a community can give its children than a proper education. Noting that it doesn’t just set that child on a path toward a better, more prosperous future, but it brightens the future for everyone.
“As children learn and grow intellectually, they also gain self-esteem. All these benefits of education lead to future informed, confident leaders who can improve life for an entire community” she said.
