Monrovia — The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the global Street Child charity has praised the Liberian government for its “huge political will” to bring more children into education.
Street Child is a global children’s charity that works in over 25 countries around the world – dedicated to tackling the barriers that prevent children from learning in safe environments.
Tom Dannatt, the organisation’s founder and CEO visited Liberia this week as part of the “Street Child Project” under the theme “Support A Child, Save The Future”.
Launched in August 2024 and led by the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, the multi-year initiative aims to enroll 50,000 street-connected children into school.
During this week’s visit to Liberia, Mr Dannatt held meetings with both Hon. Gbeme Horace-Kollie, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Nyekeh Forkpa – praising the “fantastic collaboration between different ministries” as part of the bold initiative to reduce the number of street-connected children in the country.
Tom Dannatt, CEO and founder of Street Child said: “Over the last few months, it has been overwhelmingly evident that the Liberian government, led by His Excellency, Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., brings a huge amount of political will and deep belief to its long-term initiatives to get thousands of children off the streets and into classrooms. This is, by far, the best way to give these children the best chance in life.
“During meetings over the past week, we’ve witnessed the fantastic collaboration between different government ministries – particularly the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Ministry of Education. Their strong commitment to action offers great hope for the future,” he said.
The meetings in Liberia followed a high-level discussion hosted by Street Child at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York City in September, which was addressed by both His Excellency, Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., President of Liberia, and Hon. Gbeme Horace-Kollie, the Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
The event highlighted the importance of collaboration across sectors to advance universal primary education, ensuring that no child is left behind, no matter their circumstances.
About Street Child:
Street Child is one of the world’s fastest-growing international children’s charities, established in 2008. The organization works to ensure children are safe, in school and learning – especially in low resource environments and emergencies. Street Child works with an expanding network of local organizations and a focus on the power and purpose of inspirational local level organizations sits at the heart of all they do – and has done so since the first partnership in Sierra Leone in 2008. Today, Street Child works in over 25 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
