A post to commemorate Liberia’s Independence Day, celebrated every year on July 26

By Ben Louie, PMP

As a long-time non-profit employee, I’ve built my career around helping non-profits operationally and the inspiration I get from the various organizations I’ve worked with has kept me going. I’m proud to serve on the board for Nursing for All and it’s no exception.

I was introduced to Nursing for All when I worked at START Treatment & Recovery Centers; a free-standing medical organization that has served New York City’s Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs since 1969 with primary care, substance abuse and behavioral health services. As their Chief of Staff, I’d touched on the entire spectrum of the business – billing, levels of care, hierarchy within the field, research, medical journal impact factors and medical best practices. I facilitated research protocols, implemented an electronic health record, and participated in the agency’s Continuous Quality Improvement Committee. While I was not and still am not a healthcare professional, I am a proud part of “allied health.”

During this time my colleague who also worked at START, Laura Ridge, introduced me to Nursing for All and shared that she and a few colleagues started it in mid-2010s. When learning about the country and its needs, I was amazed to learn how little I know about Liberia and its origins.  The capital city is named after James Monroe, the 5^th President of the United States. The name Liberia was derived from the word “liberty.” With this education, I was hooked.

In the intervening years, we went from fundraisers at Laura’s residence to actual spaces meant for grouping together (donated as we are very conscientious about administrative costs). Laura and then Love Jones going to Liberia whenever possible. The numerous programs that impacted so many lives both indirectly and directly. Some programs that were already in existence when I joined the board are still running and our expansion out of the Montserrado/Monrovia area to Ganta seems like yesterday.

Nursing for All has been making a difference for over a decade and I’ve been involved with the board and serving as an officer for 9 of those years, and I can honestly say I’m still excited and proud the be part of the organization. The projects and programs throughout the years, along with how the organization was able to assist our partners with Ebola and COVID, are a point of pride for me. Our Ebola response was unique for an organization of our size – and we are very proud of the impact that made.

Nursing for All is a US non-profit that supports global health by empowering local nurses in Liberia to design and run relevant community-based healthcare initiatives. Their unique model provides funding and guidance for family planning, diabetes, and HIV education; supporting Liberian nurses to lead and improve public health. I am proud to be a part of an organization striving to create a healthier future for all, starting with the communities in Liberia.If you made it this far through my rambling narrative, I hope you can join us in our journey with a gift, however generous through our donation page found here.

NFA Board President Laura Jean Ridge was delighted to host NFA’s first fundraiser on Wednesday, October 15. With over forty people in attendance, it was a great opportunity to spread the word about the amazing work of NFA’s nurse partners in Liberia.

Thanks so everyone who made it out for their support!

It was a day for celebration. For remembering Liberia’s history and anticipating its future.

But instead of enjoying the holiday, most Liberians were coping with the harsh reality of an Ebola epidemic. This epidemic has ravaged Liberia for the past six months, killed over 1,000 people, and is only getting worse.

Half of NFA’s nurse partners have elected to suspend their programs in light of this public health crisis.

However, not one of them has stopped working with NFA. Every nurse who has suspended his or her program has re-channeled their time and effort into community-based Ebola prevention education.

And all of those nurses has received additional funding from NFA.

Please consider giving to support anti-Ebola programs like it.

The 2013 Nursing For All annual report is now available for download. Thanks to our supporters and our NLPHI participants, it has been an incredible first year for us – we’re excited to see what comes next!

We raised $14,000 to improve health in Liberia!

On Sunday, April 6th, a team of nine runners completed the City Parks Foundation run for Nursing for All!

They locked in $8,000 in donations, $6,000 of which will be matched by Barclays. 100% of these funds will go towards providing essential health services in Liberia.

We could not have done this without your outstanding support.

Thank you so much!

On April 6, NFA supporters will run the City Parks Foundation Run for Nursing for All!

Any contribution made to four of our runners will be matched by their employer, so give now to turn your $5 into $10 or your $50 into $100!

The five runners are:
John Roberts
Jeffrey Kalmus
Jaclyn Bernstein 
Andrew Kelley
Laura Jean Ridge

Please support Laura by contributing to one of the other runners above–that way your gift will double!

Contributions will support essential services like: screening for hypertension, provision of family planning services, and HIV/AIDS prevention education.

Thank you so much for your support!

Nursing For All is excited to welcome two new members to our board, voted in at the most recent meeting last week! You can learn more about John and Bill below.

William LaRock, RN, PhD

Dr. William LaRock, RN, PhD, is an Adult Nurse Practitioner with subspecialties in HIV disease and psychiatry. He received his NP/MSN from the University of California at San Francisco and his PhD from Columbia University in New York. He has spent his career as a healthcare provider to underserved individuals in the United States including the homeless, mentally ill and patients living in extreme poverty. His doctorate focused on program development and evaluation in limited resource settings. He has served as a capacity building consultant in public health systems development in both Rwanda and South Africa. He currently serves as a primary care provider for homeless and shelter based individual in Manhattan.

John Roberts

John Roberts, CFA is an Investment Banking Associate in the Enterprise Risk Management Group at Barclays. He advises the firm’s clients on the risk impact of strategic corporate finance decisions, such as how they allocate capital, finance themselves and manage market risks. He has worked at Barclays since graduating summa cum laude from Colby in 2009, where he majored in Mathematical Science and Honors Economics-Mathematics with a Concentration in Financial Markets. For his honors thesis, he examined whether parallel exchange rates could be used to predict moves in commodity prices. He cofounded the Colby Student Investment Association and was an avid member of the Sailing and Crew Teams. He is also an Eagle Scout and supporter of Boy Scouts of America.

Peer educators at their October training

Shelly’s initiative has already achieved so much: in partnership with Planned Parenthood of Liberia, Shelly has trained 20 volunteer adolescent health peer educators and worked with them as they divided West Point, Monrovia’s largest slum, into ten different zones where pairs of educators could provide outreach and education. On Saturday, February 8, Shelly and her peer educators are holding a community event in which locals interested in family planning services can drop by and receive education and even family planning services if they would like.