A Mother's Strength
Annie’s Story of Determination
You know a mom just like Annie Sulenteh.
Everyday she works hard to look after her children, doing her best to ensure that they have the basics in life and as many options for success as possible. But for Annie, the challenges of raising eight children alone in post civil war Liberia overwhelmed her.
Before a food security project reached her community of Yowee in Zota County, Liberia, Annie never had enough food for her basic needs. Although she had hopes for a better future for her family, there were no opportunities to advance that dream.
Four years ago, Tearfund Canada and its church partner offered community members training and start-up support for swamp rice farming, a method that could produce more food in Liberia’s rainforest climate instead of traditional broadcast methods. Annie not only joined the group, but volunteered to chair it (which was quite unusual for a woman in a rural Liberian community)!
Farmers report that their neighbours are also producing more vegetables now that they’ve seen the benefits! The whole community has been transformed.