Women's Empowerment: Liberia

Project Report: When No One Gave, We Gave Anyway

Girl Power Africa | Women Empowerment Program - Liberia
Project Leader: Bulleh Bablitch-Norkeh

A Letter to Those Who Might Have Given

"A child strapped to the back of the mother does not know the journey is far."

When we launched this campaign a year ago, we had a goal: $10,000 to empower 100 women. When the campaign closed, we had $0 from donors. Not a single contribution came through GlobalGiving.

We could have waited. We could have closed the program. We could have told the women traveling miles to reach us, "We're sorry, but no one gave."

We didn't.

The Women Who Couldn't Wait

Let me tell you about Mariama.

Mariama walked four hours to reach our meeting location, her 18-month-old daughter tied to her back with a worn lappa cloth. She was 19 years old. Her mother died in childbirth with her youngest sibling. Her father didn't survive the Ebola crisis. She was raising three siblings and her own child by selling bitter balls—fried cassava snacks—on the roadside when she could afford the ingredients.

When Mariama arrived at our Women Empowerment Program, she said something I'll never forget: "I came because I heard you listen. Even if you have nothing to give me, someone listening is something."

How do you look at Mariama and say, "Come back next year when we have funding"?

You don't.

What We Did With Nothing

When the campaign ended with zero external funding, our team made a decision. We used our own money. We pulled from personal savings. We redirected funds from other areas. We scaled down, got creative, and made it work.

Here's what we accomplished with our own resources:

23 Women Received Full Support

We couldn't reach 100, but we reached 23. Twenty-three women who:

• Received business skills training over 12 weeks
• Got startup capital ranging from $75-$150 based on their business plans
• Received materials: sewing machines for tailors, ingredients for food sellers, supplies for soap makers
• Had monthly mentorship check-ins for 8 months
• Built accountability partnerships with other women in the program

The Businesses They Built

Our 23 women started:

• 7 food businesses (selling cassava bread, pepper soup, fried fish)
• 5 tailoring enterprises (school uniforms, traditional clothing, alterations)
• 4 small retail shops (selling essential household goods)
• 3 soap-making businesses (laundry and bathing soap)
• 2 hairdressing services
• 2 charcoal sales operations

The Stories That Keep Us GoingMariama's Transformation

Remember Mariama? With $100 in startup capital and training, she established a consistent food business. She now makes pepper soup and bitter balls daily instead of when she could scrape together ingredients.

Eight months later:

• She supports her daughter and three siblings consistently
• She enrolled her 7-year-old sister in school for the first time
• She moved from a tarp-covered structure to a small room with a zinc roof
• She saves $2-3 weekly in a savings club with other program participants

She recently sent me a voice note: "I am not rich, but my sister is in school. I sleep without hunger pain. This is something."

Florence: From Grandmother in Crisis to Business Owner

Florence is 58. She's raising five grandchildren after her daughter died during childbirth and her son was killed in a motorcycle accident. When she came to us, she was selling firewood, which was destroying her aging body.

We trained her in soap making—something she could do without the physical toll. With $85, she bought supplies and molds.

Her progress:

• Now produces 200 bars of soap monthly
• Sells to households and small shops in three communities
• Earning enough to feed her grandchildren regularly
• The two oldest grandchildren are now in school

Florence told us: "My back doesn't break anymore, but my heart is breaking with joy that the children eat and learn."