Monrovia – President Sirleaf says 13 years of uninterrupted peace in Liberia is a remarkable achievement that she is proud of as she celebrated her 78th birthday anniversary amid a host of senior government officials, led by Vice President Joseph Boakai, members of the diplomatic corps, family members, friends and partisans of the ruling Unity Party gathered to celebrate with President Sirleaf.
President Sirleaf was born on October 29, 1938 in Monrovia.
According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf was speaking in an interview with journalists who had also gone to wish her happy birthday in Julijuah, Bomi County on Saturday.
President Sirleaf said she was glad despite the difficult time the country has been through, Liberians are once more experiencing peace and the country has been calm and gradually progressing.
However, the Liberian leader said transforming villages and towns across the country remained critical to the development of urban areas and its people.
She, however, said providing basic skills training for people in rural Liberia would help decrease the hardship citizens encounter in urban and rural communities.
“When we go around, when we drive around, there are too many kids that are naked. There are too many kids that are in just any kind of bad clothes.
This program is meant to address that problem,” President Sirleaf noted.
The Liberian leader, among other things, wants such empowerment to particularly target rural women, girls and young people to improve their wellbeing and that of their families.
Speaking a day after her birthday at the first graduation circle of the Julijuah Vocational Training Center (JVTC), she challenged rural inhabitants to take serious the skills acquired and use it for the betterment of their families and Liberia.
The program is meant for graduates to start sewing school uniforms and clothes so that all the children in Tehr and Clay Districts as far as Sinje in Bomi County will be able to have uniforms and clothes.
And President Sirleaf encouraged the graduates to go into the communities and form cooperative to produce clothes.
She commended Representative Snowe for his contributions to Tehr District and Bomi County as a whole.
She called on citizens of Bomi County to embrace those who bring development to them to improve their conditions. Speaking further, she extolled the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the commitment and loyalty to vocational training of Liberians.
During the graduation, two female students gave their success story at the program.
Maima Dukuly and Sando Marshall re-counted that the program made them useful persons in the community because they are able to sew uniform for children.
They further stated that staying home and doing nothing was making them a burden to their husbands but having acquired skills in tailoring, they no longer have to ask their husbands to buy uniforms or give them school fees because they can earn money.
For his part, Hon. Edwin M. Snowe, District # 6 Representative, Montserrado County said he was proud of the students, and awarded them two contracts for two schools that he is supporting in Bomi.
Representative Snowe maintained that Liberia would undeniably be a better place – “If we were to do what is happening here today,” adding that the government cannot do all. He praised President Sirleaf for the program intended to empower her people, which is better than coming to you every day with handout.
Also speaking, Youth and Sports Minister Saah Charles N’tow commended President Sirleaf for the support to the school and thanked the students for sacrificing to stay in school.
The Julijuah Vocational Training Center (JVTC) is under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and a class of 11 males and 45 females were the first graduates.
JVTC is located in Julijuah Town, Julijuah clan, Tehr District, Bomi County.
The JVTC offers training in tailoring and was established by the Government of Liberia on October 18, 2015 – bringing students from 10 towns and villages in Bomi County.
JVTC was designed to offer short-term training in tailoring, with special attention to rural youth.