GOMPA, Nimba – Othello Cooper, the owner of a four-bedroom house that was burned on March 20, has received his first donation to his SOS call.
A political group, the Friends of Samuel Brown Network, donated zinc roofing sheets, cement, and other materials to Cooper and his family to help them recover from the disaster that befell them earlier this week.
Borris Barlea, who spoke on behalf of the group, told the victims that the donation was only the group’s initial contribution. He promised to help out the victims with further needs. Barlea then challenged other individuals and institutions to provide similar assistance to the victims.
“As we said to you this morning, we brought to you five bundle of zinc, five packs of zinc nails, five bags of rice, and 20 bags of cement for the project to start,” Barlea added. “We are calling on other well-meaning citizens and institutions that really desire good for Liberia to come to the family’s aid. For such a thing to happen to somebody of your age, I am really not happy about it.”
Cooper and his son thanked the group for the aid.
“My name [is] Othello Cooper,” he said, “I appreciate what you people have done to make my house get back to the same way it was, and I will stand behind you in anything you will do.”
Mark Dolo, son of Othello Cooper, expressed his gratitude: “I just want to tell the Friends of Sam Brown Network thank you very much for what they have done. They have come to our aid with this kind of donation, I am very happy and this shouldn’t be the end.”
Cooper, who constructed the four-bedroom house more than 20 years ago, now depends on his cassava farm to provide for him and his family.
The Friends of Samuel Brown Network has been recently engaged in several philanthropic acts ahead of the 2017 elections. In November 2016, the group led a cleaning drive in Ganta. Samuel Brown sponsored the event. Only several days after the cleaning exercises, Brown accepted a petition by citizens to run for representative of Nimba’s first district.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah