Wayzohn, Grand Bassa County – A charity organization has honored over 100 old folks from across District #3, Grand Bassa County for being positive mentors for the young generation.
The charity, Abehinnyuen Community of Hope, Inc., is funded by United States-based Liberians working to improve the health and education needs of rural communities in Grand Bassa and RiverCess Counties
Edwin Weljay, who chaired the program, said it was aimed at recognizing and appreciating “senior citizens” who have paved the way for the “survival of the young generation”.
“Today we honor and appreciate our old folks who I refer to as senior citizens because of the role they played over the years for us the young people of Gorblee,” said Weljay, who is also City Mayor of Wayzohn.
“We believe that old folks are important to society and they should be treated with love and care.”
Rev. Jacob Harris served as keynote speaker. He stressed that it is time for Liberians to graduate from “looking down on old people.”
“We need to respect our old parents and learn from them because their advice to us can help us individually and the country as a whole,” Rev. Harris said.
“In other countries old people are treated like babies but for us in Liberia, we see them as witchcrafts who are the problems in our lives which is wrong.
“I have come to let all of us know that as of today’s date, we should help improve the lives of our old folks and stop seeing them as the problem to our lives.”
Many of the honorees expressed excitement for the recognition, saying that it was their first time to be honored.
Oldma Mary Barlingar said, “Since I was born, I have not seen or heard about any old folks program before in this district but today I am so happy that someone knows that we are important to society.”
She continued: “I want to say thanks to the organizers for thinking about us. During elections, the politicians can come to us to vote for them, but after the election they can say we are old people, who have no more part to play in this country”.
Another honoree, Henry Toe added: “All the young people feel that every old man or woman holding sticks are witchcrafts. They feel that we are the onee making them to suffer but thanks to God that someone has understood that old people are important to society.”
The honoring ceremony, held on July 26 [Independence Day] in Wayzohn City, Distrcit #3, was sponsored by Solomon B. Reeves – CEO of Abehinnyuen – and his wife Lucky Harris-Reeves.
Reeves and his wife also donated 25 bags of 25kg rice to the sanitation workers of Wayzon City Corporation and US$500.00 and L$50,000 LD to the old folks.
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