PATIENCE: E445-SAN

JUNE 2022:  Thirty-two-year single mother Patience lives with her four children
(ages 14 to 5) in Sanniquellie, Nimba County.  Patience was born at the onset of
Liberia’s civil war in 1990 and like many babies, she was separated from her
mother (family) during a raid in her mother’s community as massive amounts of
people, running for their lives, stampeded the narrow roadways. Moms carry their
babies on their backs in a sling made out of two yards of soft cloth and many of
these babies, including Patience, were dropped or ripped from their moms’ backs
during the frantic stampedes. Patience survived, was picked up and cared for by
others in search of a safe place to hide.  With the presence of UN peacekeepers,
orphanages for abandoned children were established, and Patience was one of the
orphanage beneficiaries. At age 14, her town was raided and she (along with the
other children from the orphanage) walked to a refugee camp in Guinea. In 2007,
with the presence of a democratic elected government, Liberia was declared safe
and Patience and the other children were repatriated to Liberia.  UN Development
Program funds supported families to take in “Orphaned Returnees” and seventeen-
year-old Patience was “adopted” by seemingly nice man who later raped her and
kicked her out of his house two years later.  Patience lived with friends for a while
and later had to settle for any man who would “take her in.”  She began having
children at age 19 and provided for them by baking and selling a variety of breads. 
Girl Power was honored to support Patience by donating a Baking Empowerment
Package to help expand her bread enterprise.  Thanks to the generous gifts from
BETA SIGMA PHI WISCONSIN EPSILON ZETA MADISON CHAPTER
donation for giving Dorothy and her household a hand up. 

If you are interested in helping to empower a mother in need, please join us at
https://www.girlpowerafrica.org/donate.