Donations, which can be made until May 31, will be used entirely to fund training and promote entrepreneurship to boost the neighborhood's microeconomy.
San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi has launched a crowdfunding campaign to empower 60 women in the New Kru Town neighborhood, one of the poorest in Monrovia, Liberia's capital.
The initiative is a response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, which is particularly acute in countries with lower per capita incomes. According to World Bank data, Liberia's GDP per capita was $284 per person per year in 2019. The capital, Monrovia, is home to the suburb of New Kru Town, home to more than 84,000 people, with a population density of over 16,000 people per kmÂČ.2. New Kru Town is, in fact, one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in the country., a reality that is exacerbated by the pandemic and is especially difficult for women. For all these reasons, the Brothers of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi are promoting a campaign to finance and launch a project of the NGO Juan Ciudad (www.juanciudad.org) in order to allow 60 women from this suburb acquire knowledge and skills that allow them to develop personally and in business.
Ana Meyer, Project Coordinator of Juan Ciudad NGO, NGO of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, explains the purpose of this initiative aimed at this particularly vulnerable group: âWe want to develop a series of workshops on production and business entrepreneurship for women in the New Kru Town neighborhood. The goal is toIncrease opportunities, access and control over resources for these women. In addition to the prevailing poverty, being a woman reduces the chances of earning a living. Therefore, increase access to capital (economic resources) and improve entrepreneurship (entrepreneurship) among women of productive age is essential for women's empowerment, obtaining a decent income for their families, and improving the neighborhood's microeconomy."
For its part, andBrother Mariano Bernabé, superior of the Community of Brothers of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi, recalls the Order's long-standing connection with this area of the Liberian capital"At our hospital, we have a long history of collaborating with the people of New Kru Town, who have focused their support for their health center over the years. Through the funds raised at the Solidarity Craft Market, which we haven't been able to hold for two years due to the pandemic, and donations from the Friends of San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi network, the general public, and our own center, we have contributed to funding their healthcare."
After years of commitment to the health of citizens, they take a further step in their solidarity commitment to positively impact the socioeconomic aspect of New Kru Town: âNow We want to finance tools that allow women in the area to be more independent and also be dynamic elements of the neighborhood's microeconomy.", says Brother BernabĂ©.
Thus, the money raised in the collaborative crowdfunding campaign through the web www.migranodearena.org, which can already be donated, will be used to train 30 women in the production of various products such as tablecloths, sandals, key chains, necklaces and beads, and another 30 women in the production of soap and household cleaning products. With the funding obtained, these 60 women will receive this training for 12 months and upon completion, âThey will have learned manufacturing techniques that will allow them to have an alternative source of income. 60 women from the New Kru Town community will have been empowered to sell goods. And 95% of women will have started their own business", Ana Meyer emphasizes.
Specifically, this crowdfunding campaign aims to raise 10,000 euros by May 31 to contribute to the financing of the project, with a total budget of 38,530 euros. To this end, An Internet channel has been enabled, accessible on the page www.migranodearena.org, where donations can now be made to achieve this challenge, which will be entirely used for the production and entrepreneurship workshops. The funds raised will fund both the expenses and the training materials for soap, paper bag, and bead making (tablecloths, sandals, and so on are missing; I'd leave that as "the training materials themselves"); occupational hazard protection materials for the manufacturing of cleaning products; entrepreneurship and business training; the facilitators' and workshop leaders' fees; the provision of a minimum capital for each of the 60 participants to start their own business; transportation and fuel costs during the training and business launch; and the development of a space for the activities and storage of the products.
Donations from this initiative to support women's entrepreneurial empowerment in New Kru Town will be donated to a non-profit charity and are therefore eligible for tax deduction.
All information about the project and the link to make donations can be found at: http://bit.ly/mujeres-new-kru-town
Sources: World Bank GDP per capita (LCU at constant prices) â Liberia | Data (worldbank.org)
