Foundation for Women welcomes Just Like My Child Founder, Vivian Glyck

After about 30 hours of ridiculous travel, I found my host in Liberia, Deborah Lindholm, founder, Foundation for Women.

I was brought to meet a wonderful group of microcredit (small loan) recipents who welcomed me in true African style: jubilant dance and song.

I was immediately struck by how EMPOWERED the women are — they have a sense of their value, power, and contribution to their families that I’ve never seen. It made me SO happy to be here!

Microcredit creates miracles for war ravaged

Our first stop today was to visit a group of people who had been handicapped by the atrocities of the civil war. Many of the shops along the road sell crutches and wheel chairs to serve the people who have been mamed.

This group of injured people had been formally street beggars, but now are SO empowered due to the small businesses they are building as a result of microcredit.

The leader of the group, a woman who has had polio since she was a child has to hold her knee with every step she takes so that it stays straight and she can move forward. But the fire that came forth from her when she spoke to the group about not being defined by your handicap and proving society wrong about their judgement of your condition completely blew my mind. I’ve never seen such power coming from those who face such adversity.

200 children attend a one-room school while their mothers work

Next we visited another Foundation for Women program that helps women work in a marketplace.

We visited the school that their children attend while they are working.

Over 200 children crowd into one classroom grades K-6 and have one teacher who earns $20 per month to be there from 7 am to 4 pm.

It would take so little to fix this issue! And the kids are amazingly open and fun.