Monrovia — Winifred Gono, a resident of Ganta Nimba County, is a single mother of more than 10 children with ages ranging from 3 to 15 years. Some of the children are not her biological children, but her sister's. Her sister died in a car accident on the Monrovia-Ganta highway.
According to her, she had to shoulder the responsibility of her deceased sister's five kids because her surviving husband is visually impaired. As a result of an SOS made on a local radio station in the county, Winifred got help from a local non-political organization.
Over the weekend, a group of young professionals from diverse disciplines under the banner 'The Embassy Tree' based in Monrovia made an intervention by providing a cash donation of US$1,000.00 as empowerment for her and the kids.
Cllr. Lawrence Suah, the Custodian (the ceremonial head) of the Embassy Tree for the month of May took on the project to help Winifred and the kids as his signature project. He raised the resources amongst members of the Embassy.
According to him, helping to empower and uplift the lives of people has been his passion and because Winifred has a special story with the kids, she needed empowerment and the least the Embassy Tree could do was impact the lives of Winifred to cater for the kids.
According to him, empowering her is the best. We heard Winifred's story and got touched and inspired to help. What I am doing here today on behalf of the Embassy Tree is empowering her with US$1K for business purposes.
"She told us she wants to sell slippers and so we are elevating her from selling fish for people to doing her own business and we are doing so by giving her US$150.00 for food for her and the kids and the balance to be invested in the business."
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According to Winifred, a few of the kids with her are out of school and she sells fish for people and uses the profit for food for her and the kids. At some point, according to her, the kids mold dirt bricks for commercial purposes for providing food.
"The children and I live here as you can see in this mud house as you can see and we are managing. Right now only two of them are in school through the help of a prominent citizen and would need more assistance to help carter to the kids."
Like the intervention in Nimba County, the Embassy Tree has made an intervention at the John F. Kennedy Hospital where they made financial intervention of over US$1,000 to free stranded mothers who had given birth, donation of medical supplies at the Du-port Hospital, orphanages in Monrovia and the Zone 5 police station.
Founded on April 17, 2020 on the GSA Road, Paynesville, Liberia, 'The EMBASSY TREE' is an organization comprising a conglomeration of young men from diverse professional backgrounds. These professionals took solace in meeting at a local café during the lockdown era of COVID -19 in Liberia. The EMBASSY TREE meets in official sittings on a monthly basis. It is headed by a Custodian who is elected every month to steer the affairs of the organization. The Custodian is vested with the power to appoint.
