NEEDORWEIN, Margibi – A charity mission for child development in Liberia has announced that it is providing free vocational education for underprivileged children.

Trinity Children Center Founder and Executive Director Massa Gueh told The Bush Chicken that following the formal launch of the center on February 27, 2016, after nearly fourteen years of existence, the center was now prepared to expand its programs to cover different career and development interest areas for children.

Gueh announced that the center had added computer science education and tailoring to its programs for children attending at no cost.

She said the move is in line with two plans, to transform the center into a full boarding institution and expand its academic programs into career building.

“We also want to expand from junior high school to full high school, vocational, and even college,” Gueh said.

With support from friends and partners in the United States, she said the mission had benefitted from a delivery of computers and tailoring machines to kick off the program.

She announced that the mission had also completed the construction of a building to host a clinic for children at the center.

Newly constructed annex to host mini clinic, photo by Gbatemah Senah

“These undertakings will help to develop the capacities of underprivileged children who will become better citizens to transform this country,” Gueh said. “Our goal is to transform lives through collective participation and respond to the needs of those victimized by human conflicts, especially children.”

She said in addition to helping children, the mission aims to actively participate in the process of rehabilitating communities devastated by war and natural disasters.

She praised friends, Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain, John Wesley United Methodist Church and Jericho Church in the US for their support to the mission.

She called on the government of Liberia and organizations for children welfare and education to provide support to the children’s center.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Minister for Early Childhood Education at the Ministry of Education, Yukhiko Amnon, has promised government support to the contributions of Gueh and friends.

Children at TCC during the 2015 Independence Day Celebrations, photo by Gbatemah Senah

Amnon said childhood development is crucial to the development of any nation.

“The government understands the importance of educating the young children,” she said.

The center is located in Needorwein, one of the worst-hit communities of the third Ebola outbreak in Liberia. It currently educates 120 children between the ages of 3 to 17 years. Twenty of the children currently reside at the center.

Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah