Let’s make a powerful impact together – Join us and be a part of the change we are creating!
– Bulleh Bablitch-Norkeh (Founder of GPA)
Bulleh and her late husband, Dr. Frederick B. Norkeh, devoted numerous years to living and serving in Liberia. In their time there, they personally witnessed the challenging circumstances that countless women and children endured, trapped in the cycle of poverty with limited avenues for improvement. This realization inspired the birth of Girl Power Africa—an organization that extends a helping hand to empower women with the tools to become a self-sufficient entrepreneur and funds children’s education, bringing tangible change to those grappling with the harshest realities. Together, let’s join the cause and become catalysts for transformative, life-changing experiences.
Our Mission
Girl Power Africa is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower women and children affected by civil war and the Ebola epidemic. Our organization is dedicated to funding children’s education and providing women with the tools to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs. Through our work, we strive to break the cycle of poverty and create opportunities for a brighter future.
Join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of these resilient individuals and contribute to the transformation of their lives through education and empowerment.
How Girl Power Started
Girl Power Africa was founded in 2016 by Bulleh Bablitch Norkeh and Dr. Frederick Norkeh, who saw an opportunity to help women in need. But the roots of this grassroots organization go back to 2006 when Bulleh’s late husband, Frederick, was asked by the newly elected and first female president of Liberia, West Africa, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, to join her cabinet. Despite the challenges of a country just emerging from a brutal 14-year civil war, Frederick went to live in Liberia to help the newly established government restructure. Bulleh visited and was moved by the desperate need of the people she saw there. In 2009, she moved her two young girls, who were 13 and 17, to Liberia to support her husband and to help the people of Liberia. As you might expect, the transition from Wisconsin, a first-world country, to Liberia, a third-world country still reeling from the aftermath of a civil war, was incredibly challenging. The adjustment was particularly difficult for the children, who had grown up in the relative comfort and security of the United States.
Bulleh opened a small store-front location in Monrovia and watched the women navigate their day-to-day lives. She started to ask questions and gained their trust. The stories of these women and their struggle for survival unfolded, and Bulleh and Frederick started gifting the women selling goods, which allowed them to sell a product and turn a profit to support their families. Over time, more women found Bulleh, and in 2015, she started posting on her personal Facebook page, asking friends to help. The response was overwhelming, and Girl Power Africa was officially born in 2016.
Since then, Girl Power Africa has continued to empower women, educate children, and distribute needed supplies.
In 2017, the organization received its non-profit status in the USA, and donors began sponsoring the empowered women’s children for school. The impact of Girl Power Africa is immeasurable, and the organization continues to make a difference in Liberia every day.
Won’t You Join Us?
Many Liberian women and children are facing challenging circumstances in a third world country. They often endure neglect, mistreatment, starvation, and are struggling to break free from the cycle of poverty. Recognizing these harsh realities, our founder took a different approach. Rather than offering temporary solutions, she envisioned a future where women are empowered with valuable resources and skills + children receive the gift of education.
At Girl Power Africa, we believe in the power of transformation through education and empowerment. With the support of compassionate donors like you, we have witnessed the profound impact that contributions can have on the lives of Liberian women and children. By joining our cause, you become part of a movement dedicated to changing lives and creating lasting change.
Whether you are new to Girl Power Africa or have been with us on this journey, we welcome you to be a part of something meaningful. As you connect with our organization from across the ocean, you will witness firsthand the powerful change that occurs when we offer a helping hand and provide opportunities for a brighter future.
Together, let’s make a difference in the lives of women and children in Liberia, and in the process, experience the transformative power of giving. Join us on our mission to change lives and create a better world for all.
A Letter From Our Founder.
Hello Friends,
Here is a little about my very beautiful, but complicated story.
I was born in Liberia by a Liberian mother and a Peace Corps volunteer father, Justice William Bablitch from Wisconsin. My father took me to Wisconsin in 1981 where I attended high school in Oregon, Wisconsin and then went on to attend Madison College. I met my husband, Dr. Frederick Norkeh, in 1990. Together, we have 3 daughters. I worked as a mortgage banker for 16 years, spending 13 great years with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
Back in 2006, the President of Liberia, (the first female president in Africa) called on my husband to come to Liberia to help with the new government that was rebuilding after 14 years of civil war. He went and I stayed back in the states with the kids. After a few years of being apart, I could no longer handle the space between us and in 2009, I sold our house and we moved our family to Liberia, West Africa.
Getting settled, meeting the women of Liberia and hearing their horrific stories of war-torn tragedies, rape, prostitution, beatings, hunger, homelessness and hopelessness, I realized I had to stand up and help.
I’ve been helping girls and women who are in the most hopeless of situations.
I decided that the best way was to offer a hand up and not a hand out. I help to empower these women by giving them goods to sell. The goods are 100% free of charge for them with no strings attached. The only requirement is that they must check in with me monthly with their progress. This project has grown and word is out on the effectiveness of this program. Then I started to have more demand than what my pocket could produce. That’s when I started asking my friends and family to please join me, and Girl Power Africa was born.
This is very grass roots, I am a total amateur at this, but maybe that’s why God put me here. Many times, I’ve wondered what in the hell am I doing here – so far from my children who are now back in the states and I do miss all the comforts of America, but it’s all starting to make sense as I watch these women succeed. Their stories are so powerful and profound.
I have the advantage of having grown up in America and have some great family and friends there that have helped to make this happen and get the word out. Also, with my Liberian connection and being able to speak their language, the women open up to me easier. It’s the best of both worlds.
I’m so proud that we are now an official non-profit organization, who knew we would be where we are today!
We have grown beyond our initial mission of empowering women and have now expanded into education for children, making a significant impact in the lives of Liberia’s future leaders. Our progress is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, volunteers, and supporters. As we move forward, we are excited to see the positive impact we can continue to make in our community and beyond.
Thank you for joining me on this journey! Girl Power, making the world a little better, one child and one woman at a time!
Love, Bulleh (Boo)
Bulleh Bablitch-Norkeh
Founder of Girl Power Africa