By Bisi Ideraabdullah | Executive Director
In 1985, my husband and I moved to Liberia not as missionaries, but as individuals with a mission. Just two years earlier I had gone into labor while on vacation in South Carolina, and what should have been a joyous moment quickly became one of the darkest, as I was refused medical attention due to lack of insurance. Had I been treated, Imani Ideraabdullah would have been 35 years old today. She lives on and is the inspiration for the work of Imani House.
Out of deep frustration came the wish to protect future mothers from the nightmare I’d lived on that fateful day at Roper Hospital. With our five children, my husband and I left the United States for a country whose history is embedded with the stories of America’s emancipated slaves and whose people we wanted to empower in whatever way we could. What started as a small school in 1985 has blossomed into a full-scale program that proudly serves over 17,000 mothers and children a year. For the past 33 years, Imani House has provided medical care, vocational training, and literacy classes for the people of Liberia.
Imani House is tremendously proud of it’s achievements and the acknowledgements we’ve received over the last 33 years. In 1991, US Ambassador to Liberia Peter Jon de Vos had this to say:
“…Please be aware of the utmost respect and admiration I have for the two of you and your tremendous humanitarian efforts. …During the shooting phase of the war, at considerable personal risk, you went to great lengths to assist abandoned children through Imani House, many of those children survived… Moreover I shall never forget your devotion to those poor souls stricken by cholera at the Island Clinic"
Join in us in celebrating our most recent triumphs like this year’s Liberian Women’s Health manual and help us keep the dream alive by donating towards new projects like our vocational training center so that we may provide women and men with the skills they need to secure a stable job. With your help we can reach our current goal of $50,000 in order to reach additional Liberians in need during this season of Thanks and Giving. Your donation will continue to bring the resources needed to support the health and well being of families, but perhaps most importantly, present the tools through with self empowerment and a sense of pride in oneself becomes a reality.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season,
Bisi Ideraabdullah Executive Director
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