Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, encourages Liberian girls to plan their future by aspiring to become women who will be responsible enough to fetch for themselves and then aim for higher heights in society.
She urges young girls to dream and ensure that their dreams are realized by acquiring education and skills to contribute meaningfully to the changing world of which Liberia is a part.
Mrs. Taylor gave the challenge over the weekend at a one-day mentorship forum organized by the group, Books Before Boys in Monrovia.
She reflects that over the last 20 or more years women leaders in Liberia have been in the full front of advocating for young girls to have the space to grow, learn, dream, and inspire to become productive.
She expresses concern about the social activities of some young people, who have been carried away by material gains, instead of preparing themselves for the future.
“So as a leader, you have to be yourself because you are the value of who you are,” VP Taylor notes, adding “It doesn’t matter where you come from; it can be West Point, Slipway and Old Road, you have to make your dream a reality.”
“What matters is that God has given you a life and you need [to be] determined in your dreams because the sky is just the beginning and once you make up your minds that is what you want to do or be, you have to be confident in yourself”, she continues.
According to her, every child is born with a dream and it is left for the child to grow up and achieve a reality with support of family and society.
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At the same time, she strongly warns young girls against ruining their lives by engaging in unwholesome activities that could expose them to risks and instead, hold themselves in high esteem to command respect from their male counterparts.
She specifically cautions against being influenced by material things, including indecent dress code and early sex that could eventually ruin their lives, leading to frustrations and early death.
“You have to be careful with fast life in doing crazy and strange things; it does not carry you anywhere because if you are not healthy, your dreams and aspirations will die, Vice President Taylor warns young girls here.
Among high profile guests who attended the forum was the British Ambassador to Liberia Neil Bradley. Hundreds of young girls from schools across Montserrado County were also in attendence.
According to the 2022 Human Rights Report on Liberia released last week by the U.S. States Department, sexual and gender-based violence, early marriage and pregnancy and unequal division of domestic labor pose constraints to girls’ education.
“Girls comprised less than half of all students and graduates in primary and secondary schools, with their proportion decreasing progressively at higher levels of education. Poor and rural girls experienced the highest levels of disadvantage, with 14 percent completing primary school, 2 percent completing secondary school, and 57 percent having no formal education at all”, the report says. Editing by Jonathan Browne
