MONROVIA – Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has launched and dedicated her foundation – Jewel StarFish Foundation – which would empower girls through education and cater to sexual and gender-based victims.
Report by Alline Dunbar, [email protected]
The launch took place Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at Jubilee Plaza in Congo Town, outside Monrovia.
According to Madam Taylor, the foundation was inspired in 1997 when she became First Lady of the Republic during which time she was faced with the pressing need to send thousands of girls to school. She said, her sister Norwu Howards, is her first Star Fish as she coerced her to seek higher education in the United States despite the challenges she was faced with in America.
She stated that the foundation has been able to send more than a thousand five hundred girls to school in this year alone across 11 counties in Liberia. She, however, lamented that the foundation has not been able to cover the remaining four hard-to-reach counties.
“My mother taught me when I was small that if women do not stand up and do something for themselves, maybe they will become sex slaves or do things they have no business doing because they have no way to take care of themselves or their children,” she said.
Speaking optimistically about the future, Madame Taylor assured guests the that the program is going to expand during this dry season so that would-be beneficiaries of the program would not have to come to Monrovia before accessing facilities and services of the foundation.
Introducing the guest speaker, Vice President Taylor applauded Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi for crossing boundaries across the world in breaking the glass ceiling that indeed one person can make a difference.
“Mother Ajaji has different things to do in difference place like building schools, building churches and even setting up computer labs,” she stated.
Vice President Taylor also added that the Jewel STARFISH Foundation is blessed to serve as an agent to Mother Ajaji here in Liberia.
Dedicating the offices of Jewel STARFISH Foundation, Rev. Mother Ajaji pleaded with guests at the program to develop the spirit of giving.
“The more you open your hearts to people the more God blesses you,” she said.
She advised one does not have to be a billionaire before making humanitarian contributions.
The program was climaxed by a special selection from Mr. Dean of the Group of 77 and the cutting of the ribbon of the offices of the Jewel STARFISH Foundation was performed by the Rev. mother Ajaji.