Liberia: For Pres. Boakai’s natal day celebration, JNB Foundation Amb. launches youths outreach program

By James Kokulo Fasuekoi|Editor-Publisher in Monrovia

The natal day of the President of the Republic of Liberia H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai comes up in less than two weeks. Rather than host a glamorous dinner Pres. Boakai is devoting his birthday celebration to raising funds for his foundation so it can continue to help people and local institutions.

Ahead of the planned birthday of Nov. 30th, the 2024 Birthday Committee, has for months been working vigorously behind the curtains, out of a small office near Monrovia City Hall, so as to meet deadline, and has been collecting attractive donations from individuals, business institutions, as well as inviting foreign dignitaries, including presidents for this special event, according to committee sources.

At the same time, the birthday committee’s head, Mrs. Linda Karim-Creevey, currently the Ambassador for JNB Foundation, on Thursday, November 14, launched her first community outreach program, designed to fete Liberian youths. The outreach particularly focuses youths presently in schools within Montserrado County where Linda and her team have begun to give out stationary items like exercise notepads to students.

At the Kingdom Building School Ministry, a Christian elementary-junior high school, situated along the RIA Highway, in Duazon, Linda Karim-Creevey herself led her committee members, distributing several boxes of notepads (‘copy books’) that had President Joe Boakai’s portrait engraved on the cover. Linda was accompanied by JNB Foundation Executive Director Jackson K. George and Chairman Rev. David Fartomah.

The school is run by Pastor Samuel Brooks, as principal, with Pastor Regina Wamah as registrar. Founded in 2008, the school’s current population falls between 340-350 students and is tuition free according to its registrar; a US $30.00 annual fee collected from each student goes to activities and other event fees.  

For most parents who can barely afford the two-set uniform tradition for their kids at the school due to lack of job couple with the harsh economic situation, it was quite exciting for most last Thursday when the JNB Foundation’s Ambassador Linda Karim-Creevey, announced she would give scholarships to 100 students at the school come the next academic school year. 

Meanwhile, the Birthday Team, according to information shared in the group’s chatroom, was scheduled to go out into various Monrovia neighborhoods at the weekend to continue their outreach with the First Lady of Liberia helping to lead the exercise. Up till press time it wasn’t confirmed whether President Boakai himself would form a part of the outreach exercise.

Among the goods or items listed for Saturday’s distribution among needy people included 20 bags of rice, 8 boxes of chicken, 120 blankets plus TVs, among many other things. Among the group of women working with the president’s birthday committee, and helping with the community outreach distributions are, Madams Shirley K. Saad, Robena Lewis plus the president’s daughter, Marlee Yekeh.     

Editor’s Note: Banner photograph shows Mrs. Linda Karim-Creevey crouching to greet kids at Kingdom Building School Ministry Thursday, moments before distribution began. Photo: James Fasuekoi