RUTH: E480-GBL

June 2022:  Forty-three-year-old Ruth lives in Gbeleyee with her husband and four children. They do subsistence farming to provide for their family. Ruth explained she had 8 children but four died of unknown illnesses.  Ruth’s 15-year-old daughter has epilepsy. In a country like Liberia where there is a high illiteracy rate, coupled with low access to medical care and health education, local myths are applied to explain treatable illnesses like epilepsy. The seizure is misunderstood.  It is believed that one can “catch” epilepsy if one is near someone experiencing an epileptic seizure. Children with epilepsy are usually not encouraged to go to school and oftentimes poorly cared for by the family and rarely tolerated by those who live in their community. Suffice it to say Ruth appreciates the neutral, supportive support from Girl Power.  She was given a farming supplies Empowerment Package.  A donation from the Girl Power Africa General Fund has given Ruth and her family a hand up.  
 
If you are interested in helping to empower a mother in need, please join us at
https://www.girlpowerafrica.org/donate