First Lady, Kartumu Yarta Boakai, along with a visiting Chinese delegation has toured remote parts of Montserrado and Bomi Counties to assess the health, education and humanitarian needs of citizens in those areas.
Mrs. Boakai’s tour was intended to identify critical areas needing immediate interventions, especially relating to maternal and newborn health, education, and youth substance addiction, among others. The First Lady led the delegation to Jawejeh Varney Boohn, her hometown, where they inspected the Kartumu Yarta Boakai Public School, the lone government school in the area.
In Tubmanburg, the delegation toured the Government Hospital which is serving as the major referral hospital in the western region, while rural Montserrado County, the team made a brief stop in Mount Barclay at the Journey Against Violence (JAV) Center, a detoxification and rehabilitation center for drug addicted youth.
The First Lady, a professional psychosocial counselor, is deeply concerned about the rampant and devastating impact of substance abuse among Liberian youngsters and is considering more support to addressing the situation, a release said.
As part of her advocacies for improved maternal and newborn health, Mrs. Boakai is leaving no stone unturned in soliciting local and international support to buttress the Liberian government’s efforts in improving the health and well-being of her citizens, especially women and children.
The Chinese delegation’s visit to Liberia and its expressed commitment to support Mrs. Boakai’s humanitarian initiatives speak volumes of dividends resulting from her engagements with partners locally and internationally.
Under her leadership as Liberia’s Maternal and Newborn health Champion, the First Lady is determined to ensure that public facilities catering to the health needs of women and children are up to standard in order to prevent unnecessary deaths, thus reducing the high mortality of mothers and their babies.
