Stories of Students

Stories of Students: Ben

2022-01-18T16:10:11+00:00

When we first sat down with Grandmother Sarah and her two youngest grandsons to hear about the impacts of being newly enrolled in the feeding program in Buchanan, Liberia, Ben was seven years old. He was wearing a tattered t-shirt that said “Rookie.” In many parts of the world, a shirt’s slogan is a medium for self-expression. In Buchanan, what counts is owning a shirt. If Ben was a rookie at anything, it was the realization that his name was on a list, and he was part of a program in his community where he would receive food each weekday.

Both boys live with their grandmother and have no memories of their parents. Sarah has cared for Ben since he was a baby. He is the child of Sarah’s oldest son. Sarah says her son died of starvation. Ben’s mother left Buchanan out of desperation to find work and never returned. Ben’s cousin Harrison has lived with Grandma Sarah since he was four years old. Harrison’s father was killed during Liberia’s civil war. Harrison’s mother also left Buchanan to search for work opportunities and has not returned. Many caregivers in Liberia are grandparents and older surviving relatives who work tirelessly to fill the gaps created by the absence of a missing generation.

When asked how many other cousins and children also count on his grandmother Sarah for food and survival, Ben pauses, looks up as if counting and finally answers, “There are plenty.” He helps his grandma collect and carry water from the community well and with other chores around their one room dwelling.

Five years later, Ben is attending school, eating well, and growing into a healthy and happy young man. He says he has a lucky friend who owns a bicycle and Ben enjoys taking his turn behind the wheel and pedaling around the dusty, rutted streets of Buchanan. He says he wants to be a “footballer,” although he doesn’t have his own ball. Most of all, he loves coming to the WCF supported feeding program each weekday, where he sees familiar faces ready to welcome him with a hot meal. His favorite meal is the potato greens, which are mixed into a soup. He also loves the dark red beans that are grown locally, and bitter ball (like Egg Plant) that are lovingly prepared by the nine cooks on staff.

Ben has never been on airplane, but he can see them occasionally in the sky over Buchanan. He says if he could fly away, he would go to visit America. He has heard it is a country with “a lot” of food. When he is older Ben says he will work hard to take care of his grandmother Sarah and show her the same love and care she has devoted to him.

Stories of Students: Emma

2022-01-18T16:10:11+00:00

Emma radiates sweetness and speaks softly.

She is starting primary school soon and has already learned the alphabet. Each weekday, she walks to the nursery school and feeding program in the Fairgrounds community in Buchanan, Liberia. She doesn’t know how to tell time yet and there isn’t a clock in her house, but when she opens her eyes in the morning and hears roosters crowing and people talking, she gets up and begins her day.

She lives in a one room dwelling with a single bed that she shares with her mother, brother, and great-grandmother. She says it’s an old place and her great grandma is working on fixing it.

She has a “doll baby” and she likes to play hopscotch in the red dirt outside. She uses sticks to draw lines in the dirt to make squares and practices hopping on one foot.

Emma nearly died from chronic malaria. She says she felt very sick for a long time, but her tummy is better now. Program administrators realized Emma was ill and not recovering and took her multiple times to a clinic in Buchanan for treatment. Malaria is common in Liberia. The disease is caused by a parasite that spreads to humans through the bites of infected mosquitos. Once infected with malaria, the high fevers, shaking, chills and sickness settle in. Emma is one of nearly 300 million people who are infected with malaria each year. Annually, an estimated 400,000 people worldwide die from this preventable and treatable disease. In Buchanan, most people don’t sleep under mosquito netting at night and cannot afford to seek medical care when they become sick. Thankfully, because Emma is enrolled in the feeding program in Buchanan, she received lifesaving treatment.

Emma’s favorite day of the year at the feeding program is when she receives her “Christmas Clothes.” She recently received a new pink dress made from soft cotton with two straps that tie at her shoulders. Even though there was no mirror, she held the dress and twirled in a circle as if she was dancing with her new best friend.

Thanks to continued donor support, Emma is eating a daily nutritious meal, attending primary school, receiving medical attention, and enjoying the pink sundress she loves so much.

Stories of Students: Nanu

2022-01-18T16:10:11+00:00

Nanu’s dream is to finish high school. It’s an accomplishment no one in her family has ever achieved. She says her father was killed by rebels. Her mother sells cassava, a root vegetable that looks like a potato, on the streets as a vendor to try to earn enough money to feed her four children. The WCF supported program in Buchanan, Liberia has kept Nanu and her siblings from battling hunger each day. Nanu is devoted to her studies and is a scholarship student. “It continues to give me hope,” she says, as well as helping propel her toward her educational goals. She is passionate about music and loves to sing. She is also enjoying learning how to use a computer.

Her mother has never attended school and no one in her family has ever reached high school equivalency. The profits from her mother’s small garden help support Nanu and her siblings, but it is not sufficient to meet the needs of the family. Nanu says her brother dropped out of school at grade four because of financial pressure and constraints.

She worries about her country of Liberia. She says she is lucky being able to attend school, even though the educational system has its challenges. She says there are about 30 computers available among the 600 students in her school.

“I want to be a light to children like me, who thought there was no hope.”

— Nanu

“In Liberia, there are so many children without any way to attend to school. We can learn and improve the future if we all work together to create opportunity. We can make the country better.”

Her message to WCF supporters?

“Please, keep helping us.”

Nanu says after she completes her education, her dream is to return the favor and help the poor.

“I want to be a light to children like me, who thought there was no hope.”