Mariatu Kargbo Takes The Lead In Youth Empowerment
Lakka is one of the remote and deprived villages in the Western Area Rural District, Freetown Peninsular with hundreds of youths being unemployed, a good number of them spend their precious time in the ghettos but through the Mariatu Kargbo Foundation smiles have returned to the faces of Lakka youth.
Mariatu Kargbo Foundation Secretary General, Adel Karim Damdas before presenting the items to the youth on behalf of Maria said what Maria is doing is to empower the youths for them to earn their living and create more rooms for others.
He went on to explain that Maria through her Foundation has done a lot for people in and out of Sierra Leone.
He continued to say the donation is a test case for the youths and if they prove their critics wrong, Maria will do more for them but if they do not work to their expectation they will not continue to support them. He said their future is in their hands as they need to focus on what they are doing.
He explained that the 55inches television and generator is for the youth to use to show games while the pressure machine is for them to wash cars and other uses which he said are great source of income if they utilize it well and that will change their lives and that of their community as whole.
Lakka Youth Organisation Vice Chairman Idrissa C. Conteh thanked Maria for her contribution in their village.
He said they were in dire need of support and Maria came to their aid at the right time.
“Maria is helping us to make a change in our lives. Some people thought we just love being gangsters not know that we don’t have a start. Maria has given us strength for us to prove our critics wrong.”
Conteh explained how he came in contact with Maria and their conversation with her to transform their lives.
“This is not politics we are doing something for us to empower ourselves and for the government to know that if they do not come closer to us just as Maria has done, they will see us as bad people.”
“We will do more from what she has given us. We have heard a lot of negative things about us in the village. Let us put politics aside and focus on development.”
Mariatu Kargbo Foundation Motivational Speaker, Samuel Turay told the youth that their success story depend on the strong man.
He described success as one that blesses the lives of people around them; this he added is what Maria has being doing.
“This is a livelihood opportunity and it can help transformed the community. Just focus on it and you don't need education to do this.”
“Maria has taken the lead, now the responsibility lies with the youth. Take good care of the items, think and act positively to transform yourselves and in the near future when Maria comes, she will see a brand new youth.”
Lakka Chief, Foday Kamara thanked Maria for the opportunity she gave the youth by transforming them from lawlessness to responsible youth.
“Lawlessness is something that comes into you if you don't have a motivator; if Maria has taken this first step, may the God reward her and her family.”
He encouraged the youths to remain united and avoid division.
“Work as brothers and sisters. Lakka is underdeveloped because of divisions, now that development like this has started coming, take this opportunity and work with unity and oneness.”
Lakka Deputy Head Man Alhaji Abdul Dumbuya thanked Maria for taking the lead and for her to think that somebody should help the youth.
“Today a lot of idleness will end. May God grant her strength to do more and strengthen the youths and motivate them to work with the materials.”
In a telephone conversation Maria encouraged the youths to make good use of the items by creating jobs for themselves which will in turn benefit their community.
The one time Miss Sierra Leone, believes in taking the youth from nothing to something through empowerment.
“I am calling on all Sierra Leoneans to support the youth in your little way, teach them how to fish through that they will become useful citizens.”
Maria is not only a philanthropist, celebrity and cultural ambassador; she is also an advocate for women and girls. Some of her activity includes supports to so many schools in Sierra Leone, including the Ahmadiyya Secondary School where she pursued her secondary school education; Maria Primary School at Grafton, where she contributed to the construction of the school, providing teaching, learning materials to teachers and pupils and also augmenting teachers’ allowances.
She has donated materials and finance for the construction of mosques and she also donated a transformer to the Devil Hole community.
During Sierra Leone Ebola outbreak, Maria and her team donated cash from China to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia after a successful concert. Her donation break Sierra Leone and world record of the World Food Program on Ebola Supports, the first Sierra Leonean that place Sierra Leone in the Guinness Book of Records and the first Sierra Leonean to perform in the presence of Africa Leaders at a summit in China.
From among many other community gestures, Maria philanthropic work continues to amaze not only Sierra Leoneans but those that come in touch with her across the world.
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