MARGIBI – Grace Community Church located in the R2 Community on the Roberts International Airport Highway, was a scene of jubilation when 78 women and young men were certified for completing training in different skills training programs.
The Saturday, August 14, 2021 valediction was the second graduation cycle of Just A Girl Initiative inclusive vocational and economic empower program. Just A Girl is a non-governmental institution that was established in 2014 by Liberian Journalist, Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh to empower girls and women to become productive citizens and reduce their vulnerabilities.
Speaking at the event over the weekend, Madam Matilda A. Potter who served as guest speaker told the graduates to take pride in the skills they have acquired and make the most of it in order to earn their own income. She then described vocational empowerment as a very powerful weapon for fighting unemployment and an open door to financial resources for households, and especially for women.
, “I am also a product of a vocational school so I know what you went through and the benefit it will bring to you in the long run”.
Giving her experience, she told the graduates to take seriously what they have learned and make the best use of it to positively impact their lives.
Madam Potter said she was happy that most of the graduates were women indicating, “No man wants a liability. Every man wants a woman who can help with the home and bring in income.”
Speaking particularly to the women who graduated along with the 5 men, Madam Potter added that the values the woman have added to themselves will help them to positively contribute to Liberia, their families, and communities.
According to her, a lady who has added values to herself (empowered economically) will have fewer problems in her home as compared to a woman who sits home and wants her husband to do every little thing for her and the kids.
She said,” I tell you for a fact, no knowledge is a waste. If you have the opportunity to learn, learn and do not get tired, learn until you cannot stop learning because whatever you learn will be used in the future.”
Narrating her own story, Mrs. Potter said her parents were able to take her through high school level, but indicated that it reached a point they could not afford to pay her fees in university anymore.
She told the audience and the graduates that the skills she acquired from a vocational school (Conduit of Potentials) were what helped her through her university studies.
“When I learned the skills, I did not sit down with it, I put in my time to work and since I left the place I was working, people still go there asking for me,” Mr. Potter said.
According to her, life is how one decides to make it adding, there are people who graduated with different degrees from universities, but what they do for a living is far different from the university they acquired.
It was in this light the youthful guest speaker said, “Put your time to the skill you have acquired from Just A Girl, this could be your lifetime skill.”
For her part, Just A Girl’s founder and CEO, Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh said, she feels achieve because those who graduated from cycle one of the training have employed themselves by positively embracing life and doing great things with their hands and now earning incomes and are a blessing to their relatives.
Mrs. Seagbeh said during the 9 months of the training, although all the beneficiaries who got enlisted were unable to fully complete the program cycle, the few skills some of them acquired from the program are now helping them financially.
“One old lady only learned how to fix pepper kala and the money she now earns from it is being used to educate her grandchildren, put food on their table and look after their well-being.”
A total of 135 women, girls, and young men benefited from the just-ended cycle 2, with women constituting up 95 percent.
Giving an update on cycle three, Mrs. Seagbeh said they are targeting a total of 150 persons to benefit from the next cycle.
According to her, the institution is adding technical skills to include electricity and computer.
She said these additional technical skills Just A Girl’s goal is to begin training girls and women in the technical area and not just limiting them to catering, tailoring, and decoration.
“We want to develop a generation of young girls and women trained as electricians, Computer Information Technology specialists and in other technical fields to go beyond just tailoring, decoration and catering”
The program attended by government officials, prominent residents of the Duazon, civil society organization heads, educators and members of media witnessed the appreciation and awarding honors of individuals who have been support to Just A Girl since its establishment in 2014.
According to Mr. Seagbeh, she honored those individuals not because they have provided millions, but because they have seen the impacts of the institution in society.
She then praised the Laurence G. Cooper Foundation for being the single most and biggest supporter of the Just ended cycle.
Meanwhile, as part of Just A Girl’s way of empowering the first-place (best-performing students) from the just-ended cycle, Just A Girl provided a brain new sewing machine, an oven, and assorted decoration materials to the dux from the tailoring, catering, and decoration departments.
These items according to Madam Seagbeh was provided by Just A Girl to enable the 3 beneficiaries to start off their own business as the institution’s own way of appreciating them for emerging first place in their various departments.