-As Her Foundation Empowers Girls in Bomi County
By Jessica Cox
TUBMANBURG, Bomi County — The Jewel Starfish Foundation (JSF) celebrated the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child at C.H. Dewey High School in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, combining mentorship with direct support to keep girls in school.
The foundation held the event on Friday, October 16, 2026, under the local theme “Inspiring Girls, Empowering Dreams,” aligning with the global observance. JSF Executive Director Pekay Nyepon opened the ceremony by welcoming attendees and reaffirming the foundation’s commitment to empowering and educating girls. He acknowledged the challenges the foundation faces but vowed to continue helping young women and girls.
The ceremony brought together students, teachers, school administrators and community leaders, and featured motivational speeches and interactive sessions. The Foundation distributed assorted educational and hygiene items to female students and announced scholarship slots for deserving students at the school. The school administration described the gesture as timely support that will help reduce barriers that often force girls out of school.
Nancy Fayiah, a C.H. Dewey High School graduate and former sponsored student of the Foundation now studying at the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), encouraged the girls to be wise, resilient and mentally prepared in pursuing their education.
She used her own journey as proof that determination can overcome background.
“As a student from Bomi with no stable support, now a student at AME University, I am proof that no matter your background, you can become who you want to be once you are determined,” she said. Sarah S. Wennah, a graduate of Margibi Multilateral High School, recalled that her school reserved leadership for boys, allowing only boys to become president of the student council. She stood her ground and became the first female president in the school’s history.
She challenged the girls to break similar barriers in their own schools and communities.
Cecelia Freeman, a beneficiary of the Jewel Starfish Foundation, delivered a simple message: “Your background may shape your beginning, but it does not have to determine your future. Every child deserves the opportunity to dream, grow, lead, and become the best version of themselves regardless of their background, especially girls.”
She urged the girls to embrace their worth, build self-confidence and pursue their dreams regardless of their circumstances—a message that resonated strongly with students from underprivileged backgrounds.
In a keynote address delivered through the Executive Director, Board Chairman Norwu G. Howard, MSN, delivered a statement titled “Every Girl Matters. Every Dream Counts. Every Future Deserves a Chance.” He described the girl child as “not a burden to be carried, but a blessing to be nurtured, a voice to be heard, and a future leader to be empowered.”
He noted that in Liberia and across Africa, girls continue to face barriers including limited access to education, poverty, early marriage, gender-based violence and exploitation.
“When we educate a girl, we do more than change one life. We strengthen families, transform communities, build stronger economies, and create a foundation for generations of progress,” Howard stated.
He called on parents, teachers, community leaders, policymakers and development partners to build a Liberia where no girl is left behind, where education is a right and not a privilege. The world observes the International Day of the Girl Child annually on October 11. The United Nations General Assembly established the day through Resolution 66/170, adopted on December 19, 2011, with the first observance in 2012.
For 2026, the UN theme is “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights,” developed through consultations with girls, girl-led networks and civil society. According to UNICEF, about 650 million women alive today married before age 18, and more than 12 million girls still marry each year—roughly one every three seconds—with the highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa at 31 percent.
The UN notes that investments in education, legal reform and social protection have averted an estimated 68 million child marriages over the past 25 years, proving progress is possible. In Liberia, child marriage, teenage pregnancy and school dropout remain major challenges, making local initiatives like the Jewel Starfish Foundation’s critical to keeping girls in school and safe. The Jewel Starfish Foundation is a Liberian non-profit that empowers girls through education, mentorship, advocacy, and direct material support. It is the vision of Liberia’s former vice president Jewel Howard Taylor.
