CMC - Liberia
Children's Mentoring Center
Project Director/Founder:  Steven Koffa

UPDATE: A living space has been located with a bedroom, an attached bathroom and a small living room for $25 a month. For $150 we will be able to secure a home for Steve for six months rent. To make a donation for this purpose, please click on the link below, and THANK YOU! What happened?

In the blink of an eye ... GONE!

For three years, Steve worked steadily to move from living on the street to owning his own business and living in a warm home. In the process he adopted a daughter who needed a Papa. Looking forward to the next stage of growth, Steve's dreams were shattered in the blink of an eye when a storm blew through with pounding rain and driving wind. A tree was pulled up and crashed through the roof, destroying it all. We need your help!  At the present time, Steve is back to square one and is looking for the basic needs such as food and shelter in the night. Here is what your donation can accomplish for this courageous young man who refuses to give up. $25 = provides food for a week $100 = provides food for a month $250 = repairs the roof $400 = pays for the rent for up to 8 months $1500 = BUILDS a house! $5000 = Will build the house AND the first stage of the mentoring center. EVERY little bit helps - $5, $10, $20 all add up when coming from multiple people. It's a small amount to go so far.

The Stages:

1. Living Quarters for Founder
2. Computer storefront allowing for classes and recreation to attract youth and business supporting the Center.
3. Buy land for crops,
4. Build orphanage and teacher quarters
5. Build educational wings for providing education for children and entrepreneurial training for adults and community.

The Goal:

The Children's Mentoring Center

Mentor, train and support Liberian Refugee orphans and children. From his own experiences as an innocent child orphaned by the ravages of war, Steven Koffa has a passion to help children navigate through dire circumstances to do more than just survive.

Steve Koffa's specialty is mentoring and teaching children to understand the value of character and integrity and the importance of being kind and giving to others. Steven teaches children the history of their nation and country and teaches math skills. His desire is to bring additional teaching such as computer skills and networking to these children so that they will learn valuable skills as they grow to ensure the development of new businesses.

These children and youth are the next generation of a country that is now in the process of rebuilding after decades of war.

The Facts

After civil war ravaged Liberia from 1989-2003 thousands of its citizens fled to Ghana for refuge. Most, if not all of the refugees now residing the Buduburam Refugee Camp have lost homes, land, business and family members to murder and rape.

Now, after almost 20 years of living in the camp, they must now must relocate back to Liberia to rebuild their homeland.  Liberia is not ready for these refugees as this country is not prepared to offer housing, education or employment for so many in such a short time period. 

There has been over 40,000 Liberian Refugees in the Buduburam Refugee Camp outside of Accra, Ghana, Africa.  The relocation of these refugees to Liberia has begun.  With an unemployment rate of 85%, the relocation program looks bleak.

Providing

• Home, Food, Clothing, Household items
  • Housing must be paid a year in advance due to high demand. $32 a month pays for housing
  • A bag of rice costs about $40 for a one month supply, there is no fresh, clean water. All drinking water must be purchased. That leaves very little for meat and vegetables for a month.
  • Clothes wear out quickly as they do not have the luxury of washers and dryers with special soaps to make fabrics last longer. Shoes - dirt and rocks take a toll on footwear.
  • Items such as a mattress to sleep on instead of a grass mat. Pots and a cook stove, dishes to eat from. Things that we take for granted.
• Medical care*
  • Information listed below.
• Educational Training
  • Teachers are scarce, buildings to teach children are even scarcer - and school supplies are almost non-existent. The few computers available are ancient and in need of replacement. If a child goes to school - they are paying tuition because of the great need - that cannot be filled. Someone has to pay for the teachers.
• Mentoring, Emotional & Psychological Help
  • Most people can't even imagine the horrors that these refugees have seen. Who helps them to recover? More than that - who will teach the children the skills and mind sets necessary to rebuild their country?
• Entrepreneurial Endeavors
  • It would be poor stewardship to rely only on the support of others who may or may not remember you.  These young people are focused on building businesses that will help them meet the needs of their daily living as well as provide jobs to others. Funds are needed to help jumpstart them.
• Transportation
  • The only way to get around transportation wise is to walk - or take the bus. Everything costs something - time and energy to walk the long distances or money to pay for the bus.
• Relocation Assistance
  • Liberia is not prepared for the influx of refugees that are now flooding into her borders due to the recent political events.  Ghana has officially closed the Buduburum camp as a refugee camp. Families moving to Liberia need money to travel, to pay housing, buy food and to enroll their children into schools - if they can find one.

Medical Care

In one year alone, most of the refugees in the Buduburum camp have suffered from serious illnesses such as guinea worms, malaria and typhoid. (videos on guinea worms)  After speaking with a doctor there doctor I learned that most refugees cannot pay for the medicine they need - and just die.

Unlike in America where our hospitals have the medical supplies they need at all times, in a developing country, the need is overwhelming and only those who can buy their medicine - get medicine. It is clear that we need an emergency medical fund. 

Donations are needed to help us to buy medical cream to help the constant rashes that the children suffer from due to unsanitary conditions in the camp. Donations can be made financially or donating actual medical and antibiotic creams for the childre.n.

Thank you for helping us help others. All funds go directly to pay for medical services. Only fees required to wire the money are used outside of paying medical bills.