First Lady’s Livelihood Support Initiative Hits Margibi …As 160 senior citizens benefit from assorted food
The Holy Church of Christ situated in the city-center of Kakata, Margibi County, more than 30 miles away from the nation’s capital, Monrovia, was a scene of jubilation, on Thursday, June 11, 2020.
As trucks loaded with a huge consignment of food drove into the church’s compound, dozens of elderly persons could not help but joyfully thanked the First Lady for remembering them.
The donation, including 160 bags (25kg each) of rice and 160 containers (3-gal each) of vegetable oil, is part of Mrs. Clar M. Weah’s livelihood support initiative in buttressing the ongoing national covid19 response in Liberia.
The intervention, an initiative of Mrs. Weah’s foundation, Clar Hope Foundation, with funding from Merck Foundation, aims at addressing concerns of hunger amid covid19 restrictions.
“We know that due to the pandemic, a lot of people, especially in our country worry about where to get food from,” said Madam Gaelle Mediem, Chief of Staff in the Office of the First Lady, as she presented the donation to the group.
“Does that have to be your priority as our parents?... No! She (Mrs. Weah) feels obligated to provide for you because you were there for us,” Madam Mediem asserted.
“These difficult times do not mean that you should suffer from hunger… that’s why we are here,” she added, stressing that senior citizens did not deserve going through difficulties to fend for themselves.
The First Lady’s Chief of Office Staff thanked Merck Foundation for its support in providing the food and Orange Liberia for partnering with Clar Hope Foundation to produce 80 thousand free masks to Liberians, over 1,000 of which were included in the donation.
She further reminded the gathering of elderly persons under the banner “God’s Revelation National Old-folks Network of Liberia”, that the welfare of the elderly among other underprivileged people remains the First Lady’s top priority.
Madam Mediem pointed to the Buchanan Old-folks home, recently constructed by the Clar Hope Foundation in Grand Bassa County, as a demonstration of Mrs. Weah’s commitment to bettering the lives of the elderly people.
The First Lady’s Chief of Office Staff however assured the seniors that donation will not be the last, disclosing that the First Lady would visit them in due time to unveil her plans for them.
Responding to the gesture, the head of God’s Revelation National Old-folks Network of Liberia, Madam Theresa K. Kollie expressed heartfelt gratitude to the First Lady for finally coming to their aid.
Ma Theresa, as she’s affectionately called, described the intervention as timely, saying it was the time destined by God to receive such intervention from the First Lady following several efforts for support.
Also speaking on behalf of the County Superintendent, Special Assistant D. Weeder Korboi expressed superintendent … delight and appreciation to the First Lady and partners.
Mr. korboi re-affirmed their commitment to working with the Office and Foundation of the First Lady in various ways possible in achieving her goal of improving the lives of the underprivileged people, especially residents of Margibi County.
Meanwhile, another group of seniors from the organization named National Senior Citizens Organization also benefited, receiving 15 bags of rice and 15 containers (3-gallons each) of vegetable oil.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Fredrick Wesseh commended the First Lady for her kindness towards the senior citizens, describing the donation as a beginning of a partners between his organization and the First Lady.
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