News: Liberia

Goods for Good Receives Report on Pens and Pads for Progress Initiative in Liberia

Goods for Good received a report on the success of the Pens and Pads for Progress Initiative in Liberia, which has reached hundreds of thousands of children throughout the country. This project has proved that something as simple as a pen and pad of paper can have a huge impact on a child’s life. Hawah Goll-Kotchi, Liberia’s Deputy Minister of Education for Administration, highlighted the power of this program in her letter to Goods for Good:

"In some communities, the distribution teams had to carry the supplies in canoes or walk sometimes four-five hours to get to a school.

During the distribution, all the children were dancing. For many of them, these items were crucial for the exams, as supplies are not easily gotten in these remote villages and towns. Life is hard for the children living in many rural communities. Although the ministry distributed school supplies, these items are never enough to last the school year."

To read more about the Pens and Pads for Progress Initiative and it's impact on the lives of children in Liberia, visit the Projects page of our website.

Liberian Minister of Education Highlights The Goods for Good Model at UN Meeting

At a round-table meeting hosted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Liberian Minister of Education lauded Goods for Good’s program in Liberia as an effective model. The Minister explained that the in-kind support was invaluable to his Ministry as they were unable to provide materials to the hundreds of thousands of children returning to school after 14 years of civil war.

Goods for Good Ships 77 Tons of School Supplies to Benefit Liberia’s Schoolchildren

Pens and Pads for Progress’ will successfully place more than 400,000 pens and 400,000 pads into needy schools in Liberia. Of the 800,000 items distributed, the majority were outdated marketing materials and stationery from some of America’s largest corporations.

Melissa Kushner Meets Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

After hearing about Goods for Good's work in Liberia, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf arranged to meet Melissa Kushner in person. Melissa recounts the meeting, stating, "President Sirleaf gave me two big thumbs up and told me to please keep up this important work." President Sirleaf will be involved in the distribution of the 77 tons of pens and pads Goods for Good shipped to Liberia.

Melissa Kushner Meets with the Liberian Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph Korto

Melissa Kushner and Board Member Dr. Natalie Hahn had a successful meeting with the Honorable Dr. Joseph Korto, Liberian Minister of Education. The meeting was called to discuss the receipt and distribution of the pens and pads as well as future partnerships between Goods for Good and Liberia.