Video: Meet Annie, A Ray of Hope
“The civil war in Liberia tore apart our infrastructure, our economy was destroyed, and many men never returned. That’s when I knew—it was women who had to step up.”
Annie’s story is about stepping up and believing in her country’s potential. Her story is one of cultivating beauty and hope from the ashes of poverty, war, and disease; it is about having faith in the ability of women to rise above the challenges they face.
In 2005, Annie founded Gbehlay Geh Rural Women Cooperative to equip the women in her community.
With many men lost to Liberia’s civil war, women desperately needed opportunities to provide for their families.
Under Annie’s leadership, the Coop has grown tremendously. With training and support from our partner LEAD, the women have transitioned from subsistence to commercial farming and now have increased access to equitable markets.
Together with LEAD, we helped Annie secure two rice mills, and her Coop is now one of the largest rice producers in the region!
Annie’s initiative has transformed the lives of hundreds of women—and not just economically.
In the Coop, members have found a faith-centered community to belong to. The education and health levels of their family members have increased, and their hope for the future is restored.
