The Jewel Starfish Foundation (JSF) has donated items to the residents of Sophie Block community in Monrovia, Liberia. The donation was a measure to equip locals with materials useful for staying safe from Covid-19. The Board Chairperson of JSF, Norwu Howard, stated that the donation of buckets, hand sanitisers and disinfectants was her institution’s way of engendering a community-based approach to the fight against Covid-19 in Liberia.

She said, ‘In addition to the thousands of lives lost to the disease, the potential for the virus spreading in Liberia is very high. This is an opportunity for us, Liberians, to spread the message and not the virus by washing our hands, sneezing in our elbows and keeping a social distance. The virus is very, very serious, so people within our borders should follow the prevention measures put in place by health experts because our lives are in our hands’.

The Programme Director of the Foundation, Stephene Audrey Kpoto, also noted that the virus is dangerous and that JSF therefore saw the need to encourage local community residents to follow the recommended preventive measures. She encouraged the residents of Sophie Block to always sanitise or wash their hands, in addition to staying at home, as those are the best ways to fight the virus.

The Community Chairman, Mr. Koiyan Massawala, who received the items on behalf of the community, commended the foundation for their efforts. He said, ‘This virus is not just a national issue but global. We want to add that the founder of this organisation, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, has always made efforts to reach out to our community at different times with assistance. We appreciate her for that. That’s our mother who has always been there for us. We know this will pass over us once we all hold together’.

Source: Liberian Observer

Photo source: Sergio Santos