Monrovia – A visiting delegation of the SOS Villages International on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Julia Duncan-Cassell aimed at discussing ways to address youth problems in Liberia as well as pledging the organization’s commitment to working with government to create more opportunities for youths.

The SOS delegation headed by the President, Siddhartha Kaul, included the Deputy Operations Officer, Tom Malvet, the International Regional Director, Benoit Poit who were accompany by the Acting National Director, Simon Tokjohozin and one of the Board members, Cllr. Henry Reed Cooper.

Mr. Kaul hoped that Liberia can be a good partner to the SOS family now that there is a long existence of peace; acknowledging that Liberia has more needs, he said a peaceful transition will be the best   assurance for better partnership.

He realized that child mortality is still on the increase in Liberia as well as health and education issues and with the finalizing of the SOS goals at the close of last year, youth care is now a priority especially for Africa.

The SOS International president assured the Minister of his organization’s increased commitment to Liberia’s recovery agenda even though its income was a little bit stagnant due to the active involvement in the migration crisis in Europe.

He pledged to offer assistance to another 50 Ebola orphans in Juah Town, Grand Bassa County, where the presence of the SOS has been significant for several years; talking about giving youths the right kind of education and deriving an approach for the change of youths.

Minister Duncan Cassell thanked the SOS International guests for the visit and assured that Liberia remains a partner of the SOS International family indicating that there are lots of challenges in the country yet there are more opportunities.

 Minister Cassell realized that taking care of children from an early   stage sets the platform for fewer problems with the youth and disclosed that Liberia is going more into public-private partnerships in terms of health, education and child protection.

She said government looks forward to partnership so that the children are not left behind because by doing so the country will experience less youth problems and a productive society void of early child marriages, teenage pregnancy and FGM related issues that tend to prevent girls from going to school.

Dolo’s Town – At night, Sylvester Weamia says he and victims of flooding in the Margibi area are living in hell because the area looks fearful.

“No light as frog sound and mosquito bites are the order of the Day”, he says. “We are really suffering.”

Hundreds of Flood victims have expressed fear of a possible malaria and other health-related outbreaks due to their current living condition.

The affected, mainly men, women and children are now sheltering in an open public school without doors, windows and lament the lack of safe-drinking water.

A FrontPageAfrica reporter who visited the area found some of the affected children already sick from malaria and cholera due to constant mosquito bites and unsafe drinking water.

Many of the victims are teachers who are currently underpaid and struggling to make ends meet.

Isaac Kula who says he earns 12,000 Liberian Dollars explains that it took him three years to build his House which has now been completely washed away by the flood.

This is sad,” he laments.

Yassah Howard, another teacher explains that she took loan from her Association to build her House and is worried how she is going to re-pay the Loan, but more importantly, how she is going to send her children to School. “I am in tears and have no one to help me,” she says.

David Taylor, another victim attributed the huge flood in the area to poor drainage system as he made a passionate plea to the National Government including Humanitarian organizations to help address the issue quickly.

Taylor says he foresees a bigger natural disaster if nothing is done, or if no one comes to their aid.

On Saturday, the National Teachers Association of Liberia brought some relief, donating thirty bags of 25kg rice and sixty sacks of water to their members, including affected people in the area.

“This is our initial gesture and is our own way of identifying with our people especially during this natural disaster which has badly affected our people,” says acting President Mary Mulbah Nyumah and Secretary General Samuel Y. Johnson.

Both NTAL officials expressed sadness at seeing their members sleep in the same open classes that they usually teach the children from.

“This is disappointing. There is a need for national Government to see reason to change the suffering condition of teachers.”

Victims of the disaster are from the notorious Dolo’s Town including surrounding Communities in lower Margibi County.

It can be recall that during the heat of the Ebola crisis, the town was one of the hardly hit areas with several people losing their lives.

Most of the victims are residing in slum communities and are living below less than a dollar a day.

Julius Konton, For FrontPageAfrica