GBARNGA, Bong – A female Liberian chemist, Linda Cammue, is encouraging young women and girls in Liberia to pursue their dreams with resilience regardless of insurmountable challenges.

Cammue said the development of Liberia greatly depends on women and their male counterparts.

“As young women, we must stay focused and be ambitious, and bear in mind that like men, we all have roles and responsibilities in our society which we must accomplish by preparing ourselves and work tirelessly for a better and brighter future,” Cammue said.

She was addressing teenagers recently in Gbarnga at a fundraiser for the Girls’ Power Initiative, a program to help teenage girls acquire education and life skills.

Cammue said as a female growing up in a refugee camp, acquiring grade school education was not all rosy. She said there were a lot of challenges along the way, but she was never deterred.

“There were days when my fees weren’t paid on time, and I had to be sent home for tuition fees. There were also days that I had to go to school without lunch or money in my pocket,” Cammue said.

She continued: “I remember writing all my subjects in two notebooks, I remember selling around after school and sitting in front of a photo studio at night to study from their light.”

She wants young females to focus on studying their lessons and always strive to “find inspiration and be an inspiration” for others.

Cammue holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Cuttington University in Liberia and a Master’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from Swansea University in the United Kingdom.

Members of the Girls’ Power Initiative during the program. Photo: Moses Bailey.

The programs director of the Girl’s Power Initiative, Naomi Myers, a student of Cuttington University, told The Bush Chicken that her organization is educating girls on the negative impact of teenage pregnancy, early marriage, and as well as encouraging them to better study their lessons.

“I noticed that there are a lot of small girls getting pregnant in the communities, and I think this is not good for their future. This is why we put this group together to help them out,” Myers said.

She is extending the appeal to interested organizations and individuals in girls’ empowerment to help support the program for the benefits of the girls.

Myers said the organization intends to later introduce skills training to help the girls acquire relevant skills.

Meanwhile, parents who attended the program lauded the Girls’ Power Initiative for the effort. The parents said the program is important for the professional development of their daughters.

Featured photo by Moses Bailey