Monrovia – As part of efforts to commemorate the Global Youth Service Day, 25 members of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), on Friday, April 12, performed voluntary service at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Hospital in Monrovia.
Report by J.H. Webster Clayeh 00231770745986[email protected]
The youths, most of who are medical practitioners, were assigned in different departments at Liberia’s biggest hospital.
According to FLY, the Global Youth Service Day is meant to highlight the efforts of youths and celebrate voluntarism across the country.
Speaking to FrontPage Africa after assigning the young volunteers to their posts, FLY Deputy Secretary for Program Ernest Duku Jallah said the event is intended to send out a message that “voluntarism is important, and young people in Liberia are not lazy”.
“For the moment, it is just affecting Monrovia. Going forward, we hope that the celebration of this day will be commemorated across the country. For the moment we are working 150 volunteers to celebrate this day,” Jallah said.
“JFK is the biggest referral hospital in the country, and we are doing this to encourage young people and tell them we must be able to contribute our service in whatever ways once it affects the public.
“We have a huge issue with young people and employment. But you cannot have this employment when you do not have an understanding of what the job is.
“So, by volunteering here we hope that other young people across the country can learn from this and take up voluntarism initiatives in their homes, their environments so that we can all be able to change the country together.”
Alfreda Tarplah, an Administrative Assistant at the JFK praised FLY for bringing young people at the nation biggest hospital to render their service.
“You do not have to be a nurse or a doctor; we are the referral hospital, so we got different areas. The laundry, kitchen and so many areas we got for them to volunteer their service to their nation.”
Also, a volunteer of FLY Abraham S. Seokin said “it is a good thing to render your service to people who need it”. “As youths, we have to render our service to our nation. It is a good step by FLY. I think that is what FLY needs to do all of the time to make young people to get involve with voluntarism and to know their role in the society and not only to go on the radio and talk politics,” Seokin said.