Monrovia – The Jewel Starfish Foundation celebrated its silver jubilee in December 2025 and continues to provide educational and other opportunities to young Liberian women from across the country.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
The Foundation is a leading Liberian non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering underprivileged girls through education, leadership mentoring, and social protection.
Beneficiaries are glad, happy, and feel loved as they recounted how the former Vice President, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, transformed their lives from uncertainty to university.
They spoke out to defend what they believe is a “life-changing” intervention in their educational journey.
In exclusive video interviews conducted on September 20, 2026, several beneficiaries from across Liberia shared emotional testimonies of how the Foundation rescued their education when all hope was lost.
From Potato Seller to Biology Major, A Story of Nancy
Narrating her story, Nancy Fayiah from Bomi County, a proud beneficiary of the Foundation, recounted how she was selling potatoes just to pay her school fees before meeting “Mama Jewel.”
“I met her in Bomi County when she gave us forms to be part of the family. Education, feeding, transportation – these are some of the things I receive from Mama Jewel,” she explained.
Nancy, who was then a student at C.H. Dewey Central High School, said she has been on the scholarship for seven years. She is now a junior student at the faith-based African Methodist Episcopal University, majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry.
“Imagine a girl selling potatoes just to pay her fees to be among her colleagues. That privilege was given by me and since then she started paying my fees. I never stayed out of class, even up to university level,” Nancy indicated
Reacting to her link to the drugs saga, Nancy indicated: “She is a good woman. She has inspired a lot of people. She is my mentor. She is a God-fearing woman. I feel inspired, I feel motivated, I feel important in society.”
“She Is An Angel In My Life” – Pearline Narrates
Pearline Campbell from Sinoe County, in southeastern Liberia, described Madam Taylor as “an angel in my life.”
Pearline explained with the former Vice President through her grandmother when her educational journey was uncertain.
“I was at the point where my educational journey was uncertain, and continuing my education was something difficult. Meeting her and her offering me a scholarship changed my entire life,” she narrated.
Pearline revealed she first got on the Jewel Starfish scholarship when she was in the 8th grade and has been sponsored through her first three semesters in college, where she is now studying Criminal Justice at the university.
To Liberians and fellow beneficiaries, she had this message: “She has served as a mother and mentor for so many young women.”
“Resilient Woman Who Lifts Every Girl” – Cecelia From Cape Mount
For Cecelia Bendu Freeman from Grand Cape Mount County, now a Sociology major at the University of Liberia, the Foundation came at a time when her entire class at the More Than Me Academy in West Point thought their education had ended due to “confusion” surrounding the school.
“When they took over the program, she visited the school and we explained our situation to her. We invited her as guest speaker for our 9th grade graduation. When she came, she awarded every single graduate a scholarship to attend Wells-Hairston and CWA,” Cecelia explained.
“It is such an honor, such a privilege that no matter how far I go in life, I will always appreciate that.”
Apart from educational support, Cecelia said “Mama Jewel” mentors her personally.
On the current saga facing the former Vice President, Cecelia “prayed God to be the one to take control and speak,” adding: “I know the kind of sponsor I have.”
“In a direct message to her sponsor, she said: “You are that strong woman that lifts up every young woman that comes across you. I believe in you, I believe in your work, I believe in your impact. It is a test of time, be strong and trust that God is in control.”
She described the former Vice President as a “resilient” and a “very powerful woman” who continues to impact lives.
Several other beneficiaries maintained that the Jewel Starfish Foundation is more than a scholarship scheme, stating that it is a family and a breeding ground for female leadership that has touched lives in Liberia, Ghana, Malawi and Sierra Leone.
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