Jeremiah is a 5th grade student at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy. He lives near the school with his five sisters and is being raised by his aunt. Jeremiah’s parents do not live close, so he doesn’t see them often. He wants to be an electrician when he is older.

When Jeremiah isn’t studying his school lessons from his notes or practicing his spelling, he helps out by fetching water for his family in a country where access to safe drinking water is rare.

Ten years after the Civil War in Liberia ended, just 1 in 4 Liberians has access to safe drinking water according to the World Health Organization. The war destroyed the water and energy infrastructure in Liberia and outbreaks of water borne diseases like cholera occur regularly.

A student sponsorship will enable Jeremiah to continue his free education at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy and further his goal to become an electrician. As a professional electrician, Jeremiah will be able to help his country re-build its energy infrastructure and deliver safe drinking water to his home and other communities.

It no surprise that Abetta’s Nagbe’s best subject in school is Health Science since she wants to become a nurse when she grows up. Abetta is 10 years old and in the 4th grade at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy. Her father died 6 years ago and she lives near the school with her aunt and her aunt’s seven other children. She fetches water to help the family and loves to play baseball when she’s not in school.

In 2008, five years after the Liberian Civil War ended, Liberia had only 27 nurses per 100,000 people so trained nurses are critically needed to help deliver healthcare services in that country. The free, quality education Abetta receives at the Academy provides her with a path forward to becoming a professional nurse and working on behalf of the impoverished people who desperately need access to healthcare.

Christiana is a 17-year-old, 6th grader who lives with her mother, one sister and two brothers near the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy in Grand Bassa County, Liberia. Her father abandoned the family in 2017 and returned to his native Ghana. They have not heard from him since then.

Christiana loves to sing when she’s not at school and reports that her best subject is Social Studies. She helps her mother at home by fetching water, cooking and cleaning.

Christiana wants to be a banker when she grows up. A sponsorship to continue her education at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy is critical to helping her achieve her goal. Although her mother sells cooking bowls in the market to make ends meet, she is unable to pay Christiana’s school fees without assistance.

Christiana is growing up in a country ravaged by 14 years of Civil War. The impacts of the war, compounded by the 2015 Ebola outbreak, took a toll on the Liberian Education system and it remains significantly behind many other African countries. That’s why sponsoring Christiana’s education is so important as she is among only 44% of students in Liberia currently attending primary school.

Alvin Tarpeh is a 15-year-old sixth grader at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy. He knows that the free education he receives at the school will enable him to achieve his dream of becoming a medical doctor one day.

Alvin’s home life has been unstable since his father abandoned the family when Alvin was only 4 years old. His mother takes care of Alvin and his brother by selling small items in the market near their home. When he’s not studying his school lessons, he helps his mother sell and also fetches water for the family. Alvin’s best (and favorite) subject is Social Studies because he’s interested in learning more about the world around him.

Alvin learned in school that Liberia has yet to rebuild its healthcare infrastructure since the Civil War ended in 2003 and by 2008, there was only one medical doctor per 100,000 residents . Alvin believes that the quality education he receives at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy will help prepare him to deliver critical healthcare services to people in his community.

Ruth is 7 years old and is a 1st grader at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy. Her best subject is reading and she really enjoys studying her lessons every day.

Ruth’s father died in 2019 leaving her mother to raise Ruth and her three brothers alone. Her mother sells coal to pay rent to help the family survive and Ruth often helps her sell coal when she’s not at school.

Ruth is among a small percentage of girls in rural Liberia with access to a quality education. Liberia has one of the highest levels of out-of-school children in the world and continuing her studies at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy will allow Ruth to beat the odds and become the nurse she wants to be when she grows up.

Lucky is 15 years old and a 7th grade student at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy. She is a pragmatic and determined young girl who will no doubt achieve her goal of becoming a professional nurse if she can continue receiving free education at the Academy.

Lucky recently lost her father to Coronavirus and now lives only with her mother who sells coal and other small items in the market to help make ends meet. She occasionally helps her mother sell at the market and at home by cooking the family meals.

There have been over 2,000 cases and 85 deaths from Coronavirus in Liberia since the start of the pandemic and the outbreak has continued to challenge the already fragile healthcare system in the country. Liberian residents reported that there were no supplies or medications available at the hospital to treat coronavirus so underserved communities remain vulnerable.

Lucky needs a dedicated sponsor to assure she can continue her free education at the Annie T. Doe Memorial Academy and ultimately become a nurse. Losing her father during the pandemic has made her more determined than ever to succeed in reaching her goal.