By Precious D. Freeman
The Girls Alliance for Future Leadership (GAFL) hosted a powerful and inspiring program to commemorate the Day of the African Child.
Under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010,” the event brought together students from four prominent schools—Wells Hairston High, Muslim Congress High, St. Teresa’s Convent, and Matilda Newport Junior High School.
The event that was hosted yesterday at Wells Hairston High School served as a platform for advocacy, empowerment, and urgent calls to action for the protection and advancement of Liberian children especially girls.
It featured moving speeches from prominent national and international guests, impassioned appeals from students, and strong messages urging political and social reforms.
Delivering a rousing keynote on behalf of a scheduled speaker, Vernice Guthrie, Country Director of the Peace Corps at the U.S. Embassy in Liberia, encouraged the girls to embrace perseverance, self-belief, and the pursuit of leadership.
“You are sitting in a country that made history by electing Africa’s first female president,” Guthrie said, referencing former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. “You girls, too, can rise to those levels and even higher. The future is wide open for those who are ready to work for it.”
Guthrie urged the students to remain focused, reject limiting beliefs, and seek mentorship from successful Liberian women.
Her remarks ignited a renewed sense of purpose among the attendees.
The Secretary General of GAFL, Kadiatu Bah delivered a powerful and heartfelt address, spotlighting ongoing injustices faced by young girls across Liberia.
She commemorated the Soweto Uprising of 1976, calling attention to its legacy and the unfinished struggle for quality education and protection of children’s rights.
“Our education system continues to deteriorate since the civil war,” Bah said. “Liberian girls suffer the most from violence, abuse, and neglect by systems meant to protect them.”
She cited alarming statistics from U.S. State Department human rights reports and criticized the government for its failure to effectively enforce domestic violence laws.
Most notably, Bah condemned the legislature for passing the Domestic Violence Bill in 2019 without including a ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a practice she called “the most existential threat to the development of the Liberian girl child.”
Bah recalled GAFL’s historic 2018 march to the Capitol, demanding legislative action against FGM.
While the bill was passed, it lacked the critical provisions needed to protect underage girls from this harmful practice.
She called on the current administration under President Joseph Boakai to introduce a decisive amendment criminalizing FGM for girls under 18.
Kadiatu also made a passionate appeal for free and compulsory education from grades 1–9, not only in public schools but also in private institutions.
“Many of my friends are not in school because their parents cannot afford the fees,” she lamented. “No child should be left behind in the development of this country.”
She challenged the government to invest in the education sector, noting that doing so would help eradicate the root causes of war, poverty, hunger, and ignorance and pave the way for a peaceful, educated generation of leaders.
Representing the host school, Mr. Moses Carter praised GAFL for organizing the impactful event. He encouraged students to resist corruption and commit to personal integrity, discipline, and hard work.
“Corruption is not just about money,” Carter emphasized. “It’s your behavior, your attitude. You must stop it if you want to be great.”
He echoed the importance of empowering young girls through such engagements. “Our girls need to hear this often. They need to know their voices and dreams matter,” she said.
Students expressed gratitude for the program’s motivational message. “It makes me believe I can become a doctor,” one student shared. “If others can do it, I can too.”
The Peace Corps and other partners announced plans to replicate similar youth-focused programs across Liberia in the coming months.
As the Day of the African Child concluded, GAFL’s message was clear: the future of Liberia depends on protecting, educating, and empowering its children, especially its girls. Their voices will not be silenced, and their dreams will not be deferred.
