By Ade Wede Wee-Wee Kerkulah
Yaayyyyyy, WE-CARE Foundation clocks 30 this year, 2022! Wow, time really flies! Not too long ago, it was 1992; today we are counting thirty years! A milestone indeed!
Seeing so many children languishing in the streets doing nothing productive, at least when we were not running from the guns (during the war years), this is 1992 we are talking about now, the year of the infamous Operation Octopus, T. Michael Weah and his team thought, ‘Something has to be done to help these children’. These vision bearers saw the need to do something positive and innovative, so that the minds of the children would not lie idle, even during those turbulent times.
Naming the foundation ‘WE-CARE’, with the sole aim of lending a helping hand, the team quietly but assuredly went about impacting Liberian lives, especially children. By providing books to read, and a place for respite, especially during those war years when many wanted to give up, WE-CARE gave people something to look forward to. That WE-CARE was given birth during these difficult times in our country’s history speaks to the fortitude of the vision bearers to do their part for Mama Liberia. In the words of the famous United States president John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”, the vision bearers gave all they had to WE-CARE.
Needless to say, it was not an easy task. Being diligent and patient, they began to see the fruit of their labor; interest in the library increased. More people began going to the library, children and adults alike. Seeing the positive impact, but with no support from anywhere, local or international, the T. Michael Weah and his team persevered.
Today, WE CARE is setting up libraries across the country, training librarians to take care of those libraries and assist those using the facilities. WE-CARE is also involved into training elementary school teachers, early childhood education, distance learning and nurturing care. Other programs are training parents to be their children’s first teacher, and critical thinking and adult learning. These are some of WE-CARE’s activities, at least the ones we LAW members know of.
We also laud all WE-CARE’s partners, local and international, who understood the vision and strengthened WE-CARE to be more impactful to the children, parents, teachers, yea, Liberia. WE-CARE Foundation is what it is because you also are there to lend your support. We are beneficiaries too. Thank you so much!
Today, as you celebrate, the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW) just cannot to let this milestone achievement go by without expressing our gratitude and sharing your joy. LAW probably would not have been what it is today if you, WE-CARE had not had our back all these years. You’ve mentored aspiring writers to become writers, and writers to become authors, not to mention numerous trainings and seminars among other forms of assistance, including providing LAW a meeting place.
Today, as you celebrate, from the bottom of our hearts, we have come to say thank you, thank you, thank you WE-CARE! We also say KUDOS, for a job being well done! Through good times and bad, you have endured; hence, we the members of the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW) are giving you your well-deserved flowers. So, to you all members of the WE-CARE family, you rock!
Liberia is a better place because of people like you! Keep soaring, and lending a helping hand!!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, WE-CARE!!!!