Contact Admin. Sara is from a rural area in Liberia, sent by her parents to live with an aunt and pursue her education in the capital Monrovia when she was 14 years of age. She and her parents had big dreams of Sara thriving in a way that her parents never had.
However, her dreams were soon shattered. I became frustrated and very angry with my aunt. She lived without any parental guidance and supervision and had to fend for herself. She began taking drugs, got involved in street fighting to defend herself and also began to sell sex for survival. A few weeks later, I opened up to the social workers and began to tell my story. The social workers told me about the various opportunities the programme was offering and I became very interested.
It provides life-skills and vocational training opportunities for some of Liberia's most vulnerable adolescents and youth. I want to improve my living conditions and become somebody who contributes to society. I stayed with the programme till I finished high school. I was a team leader and helped to raise awareness on how to prevent the spread of Ebola in my community, where we reached out to more than 5, households.
Sara enrolled in a hospitality service course under the vocational training programme of B-CAP. She selected for an internship at a leading hotel in Liberia. All of the adolescents taking part in this initiative live in the two most populated and deprived slum communities of Liberia. I pray that all girls out there who are faced with similar situations can be motivated by my story and make a difference in their own lives too.
All identifying details, including her actual name and photograph have not been provided on purpose. Music is being used to raise awareness and increase immunization. UNICEF supported community health workers are helping extend healthcare services to vulnerable populations.
