Hamilton inspires plan for Liberian education
Fundraising for learning centre resumes after Ebola
Could inspiration from a book be enough to build a library? If Leo Johnson has his way, the inspiration or “dream” will become a reality for his home country, Liberia.
“It’s called the Liberian Learning Centre,” said Johnson, who came to Hamilton as a refugee from Liberia’s civil war in 2006. What started as an idea for “a room full of books,” he said, has evolved into much more — a space that would offer locals a wide range of programs and services to engage and educate youth, entrepreneurs, communities and organizations as Liberia continues to recover from the Ebola crisis.
Johnson’s charitable organization, Empowerment Squared, needs $1.9 million to build the centre and they want Hamilton’s help.
The fundraising for the centre was put on hold during the Ebola crisis, but will relaunch at the first Liberian Independence Gala, being held in Hamilton July 22.
Johnson says now that the country has been considered Ebola-free for the past six months, the fundraising can start again.
The city was chosen as the host of the gala because of the positive experience Johnson had as a newcomer to Canada and resident of Hamilton.
“Canada gave me a chance, and specifically Hamilton gave me a chance. If it wasn’t for the support that I got here from this city and the incredible people and institutions, none of this would have been possible. My life wouldn’t have been possible.”
He said he wants to give people in his country the same opportunity by creating a centre that he hopes will empower 150,000 young people by providing the education and infrastructure they need to learn and be ready for the workforce.
The Rotary Club of Hamilton will work with the Rotary Club in Liberia to ensure all the money raised for the project will go toward the building of the centre. Johnson said he also plans to oversee the project.
He said if the fundraising is successful, the hope is to break ground in a year.
Empowerment Squared has also teamed up with Toronto-based, volunteer-run campaign Help Fight Ebola Canada to bring Ndaba Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, to Hamilton on July 5.
According to Johnson, Ndaba Mandela has been a driving force behind his grandfather’s
legacy of hope, inspiration and awareness. He’ll speak about his personal work as well as the challenges facing Africa today.
Ammar Kamara, founder of Help Fight Ebola Canada, said Canada played a vital role in eradicating Ebola in Africa by providing a vaccine.
“The government of Canada got involved in December 2014 with two sample vaccine doses,” said Kamara.
The National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg developed the vaccine.
Inspired by the outpouring of support from the Hamilton community during the Ebola crisis, Kamara and his volunteers made arrangements for Ndaba Mandela to speak in the city.
“I see Ndaba Mandela as the best person to represent the African continent, to say thank you to Canadians for their role in stopping the spread (of the disease) and also to educate and reduce the ignorance that some of the world may have about Africa,” he said.
A portion of the proceeds from Ndaba Mandela’s talk will be donated to the Africa Rising Foundation, an organization that promotes a positive image of Africa around the world through the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Remaining proceeds will support the Liberian Learning Centre.