Lowell — A Liberian Humanitarian based in the United States, Alexis Worji has joined thousands of Americans in a just-ended Bay State Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts to create awareness for underprivileged children.
The Bay State Marathon is a marathon held every October since 1990 as a highly recognized event in the northeastern United States.
Mr. Worji is the Chief Executive Officer of the Children Educational and Developmental Support Center (CEDS-Liberia) a non-governmental organization (NGO) established in Liberia.
The CEDS-Liberia was occasioned in 2008 when the CEO was diagnosed with Eye disease and established in 2016 and thereafter launched in 2018, since its formation the NGO has been working in the interest of children with special needs.
The organization with ten (10) active beneficiaries has a fully furnished home for the children to meet modern comfort like any other person.
CEDS-Liberia provides special education, medical services, medical supplies, food, clothes, water, sanitation supplies, and medications.
Other services provided are entertainment and therapeutic treatment for kids from birth to 15 years old.
Mr. Worji said the participation in the marathon is in accordance with his quest to create significant awareness and seek more support for children in Liberia that are faced with impediments and abandoned.
"Institution enters the marathon to create awareness or raise funds for their charitable programs, and my organization CEDS-Liberia registers to highlight and create awareness of the untold suffering of children with disability in Liberia," he said.
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According to him, the need to stand for those who are not capacitated to ensure for themselves is the responsibility of everyone to charge.
"I was diagnosed with the corneal disease in my right eye and needed to undergo surgery abroad; interestingly, I couldn't afford my local medical expenses not to mention travel. All efforts to seek support or funding for surgery did not materialize. I had to live with the condition though the pain was unbearable, I had to continue my education and pray for miracles," Worji explained
He continued, "Today we have thousands of children like me who might not make it to their 5th birthday due to some disabled condition because their parent can't afford their treatment. I was fortunate to undergo major surgery in my right eye at the Boston Medical Eye associate in Boston, Massachusetts. The miracle that came my way led me to save 15% of my by-weekly income to help children with disability in Liberia," he stressed.
The Liberian humanitarian is seeking collaboration and supports as he continued to engender the affairs of children with special needs with the desire to spread across the country. "CEDS-Liberia with donor funding, government support, and individual contributions will cover the 15th counties of Liberia and work on helping every child we meet," he said.
