Ten Days…To change a life. To change your life. To change the world.
From May 6–17, 2008, I’ll be traveling with a small group of volunteers to Robertsport, Liberia in West Africa as part of a program called "Ten Days." It's a hands-on, grassroots opportunity for ordinary people to be involved in extraordinary projects throughout the developing world.
Our mission is to renovate a formerly-beautiful home that was destroyed by war and turn it into a place of healing, learning and excellence for refugee children returning to their home country. Some of these kids have never been in Liberia, having grown up in a refugee camp in Ghana. We'll truly be giving them a "home coming."
This home will be called STRONGHEART HOUSE, inspired by the quote:
"The world breaks us all and after, some are stronger in the broken places." Ernest Hemingway
Strongheart House will be a home for exceptional young people from extremely challenging life circumstances. The kids chosen to live in Strongheart House are called “Strongheart Fellows.” These Fellows, orphaned or displaced by conflict, have incredible levels of innate intelligence and inner resilience. While at Strongheart House, they'll be taught an intensive leadership and social entrepreneurship curriculum, emphasizing innovative ways of combining social good and business. They will learn to "do well by doing good." And in turn, they’ll strengthen their community.
Strongheart House will open in Sept 2008. I'll be part of the first team to go but two more volunteer trips will follow mine to prepare the house. The 13 bedroom 6 bath house was once a grand beach house before the Liberian war. Though there's peace in the country now, many of the homes (including this one) were looted down to the roof tiles and wiring in the walls. We have a big job ahead of us, and we’re prepared to scrape walls, clean (it's currently used as a fish cleaning center!), paint, and do whatever's needed to get it ready for these amazing kids.
The first group of Fellows has already been chosen:
Lovetta Conto has spent most of her young life as a refugee, living in different countries in West Africa. Chosen to be a Fellow because of her intelligence, drive and ambition, Lovetta has attended school in the US for the last 1 ½ yrs on scholarship. As an honored speaker at the TX Governor’s Women’s Conference, her speech about life as a young refugee received a standing ovation. Lovetta has created a line of jewelry by taking used bullets from the Liberian war and melting them down into a leaf symbol. This design shows that new life can arise from the ashes of war. Proceeds will help support Strongheart House.
Emmanuel, Georgia, Gabriel, Elizabeth, & Charity Freeman are a family of five orphaned Liberians living in a refugee camp in Ghana. After the death of their mother, they managed to stay together against incredible odds. Through their tenacity, resourcefulness and intelligence, they were able to start a business that sustains them as a family, offers hope, opportunity and a valuable sense of pride. Only the two oldest have any memory of their homeland, though all are excited to return to Liberia to join the great movement that is rebuilding their country.
The money that I raise will be used to replace the roof, buy paint, plaster and other things needed to get the house ready for these kids. We'll actually be staying in the house while we're working on it, without running water or electricity, to ensure that every possibly dollar will be spent on making a beautiful home and learning space for the kids.
Thank you for anything you can give!
To learn more about Strongheart, please visit: www.strongheartfellowship.org
For info about future volunteer trips, email cmbeck1@yahoo.com