Wives of the Armed Forces of Liberia will soon benefit from a modern vocational training center to enhance their skills in hands-on livelihood skills.
Liberian First Lady, Amb. Clar Marie Weah is undertaking the initiative in fulfillment of her commitment to the women following their request this year during the Armed Forces day celebration.
According to the First Lady’s Office, the project is worth over One-hundred thousand US Dollars and will boost the women empowerment initiative of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) soldiers’ wives.
The release said the project which is being funded by the Office of the First Lady, started Saturday, October 3, 2020, with the clearing of the project site at the Edward Beyan Kessellie Barracks.
This will be followed by the official groundbreaking and commencement of construction.
Speaking to reporters, the Army Wives Association Secretary General, Mrs. Alfreda Nmah expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her commitment to the empowerment of women and girls in Liberia.
Mrs. Nmah described the First Lady as a ‘dependable person’ who means what she says.
Mrs. Nmah, who is also the administrator of their women empowerment program, disclosed that the First Lady’s intervention will enable them have their own facility.
She said the project will offset one of the biggest hindrances to the smooth operation of their vocational skills training program.
She disclosed that owing to the lack of facility, they are compelled to only conduct classes during the afternoon hours, following the end of daily academic activities of the junior high school at the barracks.
“We should have been having classes in the morning and in the evening, but because the building is not ours so we only come after 2 O’clock in the afternoon,” the Army Wives Association Secretary General added.
Clearing of project site at the Edward Beyan Kessellie Barracks
Meanwhile, the Chief Scribe of the Army Wives Association has reaffirmed their commitment to working with the contractor in every way possible, even if it meant providing food for the workers.
Responding on behalf of Mrs. Weah, the Deputy Chief of Office Staff in the Office of the First Lady, Mr. James K. Kortu, thanked Mrs. Nmah and her colleagues for the warm reception accorded his team upon arrival at the project site.
Mr. Kortu said the First Lady was pleased to meaningfully impact their lives, by helping to address the challenges confronting their growth and development, stressing that she remain appreciative of the great work they do in supporting their husbands, the soldiers who are defending the state and its people.
According to him, the First Lady was also impressed about the establishment of a vocational training program as a self-help initiative to empower other women and girls both in and out of the Edward Beyan Kessellie Barracks in Shefflin, Margibi County.
