Clar Weah

Clar Marie Weah
Clar Marie Weah
	File:IMG-20200203-WA0000 (1).jpgFirst Lady of the Republic of Liberia Clar Weah First Lady of the Republic of Liberia
Born	11 March 1965; Kingston Jamaica
Citizenship	Liberian
Occupation	First Lady
Spouse	George Maneh Weah (m 1993)
Children	Martha Weah, George Weah Jr, Timothy Weah

Clar Marie Duncan Weah (née Duncan; born March 11, 1965) is a businesswoman, philanthropist, advocate and the current First Lady of the Republic of Liberia . She is the wife of ^[1]George Manneh Weah the 24th President of the Republic of Liberia, who has been in office since 2018. Mrs Weah established the Clar Hope Foundation in 2018 originating from her profound goal as a First Lady to address and alleviate the challenges faced by the underprivileged and often marginalised people in the Liberian society. Aside from working to respond to the adversities faced by the elderly, orphaned and disabled; she has availed herself as an advocate and guardian of women and girls who have been victims of rape or sexual abuse. Her concern for the protection and empowerment of women led to the launch of the “She’s You Movement^[2]^[3]”, her flagship program which aims to improve the lives of women for a better and prosperous Liberia.

Biography

Early Life and Career

Clar Marie Duncan, born in Kingston, Jamaica, is the youngest of seven children. In her early youth, she migrated along with her family, to the United States of America. In the United States, Mrs Weah attended the University of New York and earned her nursing license and a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences. She launched her career working as a customer service representative in New York at both Citibank and Chase Manhattan Bank, during which time she in conjunction managed small businesses.

Mrs Weah as well moved back to Jamaica to pursue her nursing career and dream to offer quality healthcare services to the vulnerable in her community. During her nursing career, she worked at a local hospital, where she led programs caring for hundreds of underprivileged children, including those in children homes who are an often-missed cohort. In addition, she spent her spare time assisting as a youth soccer coach, with the intention of fostering youth and community engagement, along with keeping children off the streets.

Marriage and Children

Miss Clar Marie Duncan met George Weah, the at that time soccer icon, in the early ’90s at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, where she was serving as a customer service representative. They married on June 26^th, 1993, and have three children- Martha, George Jr and Timothy Weah.

Office of the First Lady 2018- Present

File:Seal of the Office of the First Lady of Liberia.png

Following the election of her husband as the 24^th President of Liberia, Mrs Weah embraced her new role as the First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, devoting her time and services to programs and social projects aimed at improving the lives of deprived people in Liberia. These programs encompass services targeting the alleviation of circumstances for orphans, street children, the elderly, women and girls; especially those in rural settings, among other often marginalised members of the Liberian society. The objectives outlined in her programs are:

To improve the living and working conditions of both urban and rural women
To promote the financial independence of rural women through agriculture
To rehabilitate, educate and train youth in the streets
To empower the women of Liberia and be a resilient advocate for the voiceless and unheard.

Humanitarian Activism

Liberia is a post-war success story that continues to strive on steady paths of peace, reconstruction, and development. Furthermore, despite sixteen years of uninterrupted peace since the end of the brutal civil crisis in 2003, there persists a substantial social injustice on women, girls, and children by means of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).The Gender Ministry first-quarter report of 2019^[4] estimated that over 800 SGBV cases were recorded between January to March of 2019, showing the depth and significant magnitude of the state of affairs, consequently demanding urgent attention.

Establishment of Clar Hope Foundation

In 2018, the “Clar Hope Foundation”^[5]was founded by Mrs Weah, as a non-political initiative, aimed at creating an equitable society in Liberia, by restoring hope to disadvantaged children, youth and women through the four pillars of:

1. Education

2. Health

3. Economic Empowerment

4. Gender Equality

The Clar Hope Foundation was founded through the merger of innovative solutions for sustainable development. The Foundation’s priority is based on delivering essential Emergency Healthcare as a universal and constitutional health-right to every Liberian citizen.This approach draws on global and national partnerships between High-Level Policy Makers, CEOs, Leaders, Managers, Politicians, Faith-Based Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, Civil Society and the wider United Nations Agencies.

The Clar Hope Foundation's vision aims at “Delivering, Innovating and Investing” in the following agendas;

Primary Health Care.
Maternity and Infant Care Units.
Mobile Clinics for Pregnant Women (Predominantly in Rural Areas).
General Emergency Services that Need Ambulances.
Food Banks and Feeding of the Elderly.
School Feeding Programs.
Disabled School Children Bus Services.
Girl Child Empowerment Initiative Programs and Career Development.
Building and Renovation of Orphanage Schools Across the Country.
Construction of Housing for the Disabled, Aged and the Underprivileged.
Construction of the City of Hope for Skills Training and Acquisition of Vocation.

She's You Movement

On June 20^th, 2019, Mrs Weah, launched her flagship program, the She’s You Movement^[6] an initiative aimed at advancing gender equality through the promotion of women’s empowerment and fight to end all forms of violence and detrimental practices against women, girls and children. The She’s You Movement objectives are to create a conducive environment for women and girls to live free of violence, rape, gender inequalities, allowing them to reach their full potential. In pursuit of this goal, the movement seeks to reduce infant and maternal mortality causes and rates.

The She’s You Movement is based on seven pillars

1. Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

2. Ending Child Marriage and other harmful traditional practices

3. Ending Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS

4. Reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality

5. Promoting Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship and Education

6. Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

7. Providing quality education and skills training for girls

Ongoing Projects and Achievements

Renovation of Orphanages

Ensuring that orphans have adequate food and better living conditions^[7] are fundamental in improving their life trajectories and quality of life. Consequently, these were the first of many interventions by the First Lady, Mrs Weah, since assuming office. At least eight orphanages in Montserrado County and Grand Bassa County have been fully renovated. The projects included replacing makeshift structures with decent and durable residential facilities.

Feeding of the Elderly Program

On the last Thursday of each month, over 2,000 people of the elderly population receive care packages of rationed food to boost their nutrition. The feeding program^[8] was launched in April 2018 with the aim of restoring the dignity of the elderly whilst increasing levels of social inclusion, engagement and participation. The program has distributed nearly fifty-thousand packaged foods since its initial launching.

Construction of Home for the Disabled and Elderly

A thirty- bedroom residential facility, to accommodate the physically challenged and the elderly is on the verge of completion. The home currently being constructed in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County was initiated by Mrs. Weah, through her charity, the Clar Hope Foundation in response to the deplorable conditions and inadequate care that the elderly and the physically challenged were faced with. Mrs. Weah’s plan for this project is not only to construct a modern home, but to additionally operate the home, providing essential services, thus ensuring a decent life for the beneficiaries.

Construction of Clar Hope City

The construction of the Clar Hope City ^[9]which has already been launched in Marshall will comprise of dormitories, vocational and academic centres as well as rehabilitation and recreational areas. The Clar Hope City, sets out to be a refuge and rehab centre for hundreds of Liberia’s socially excluded or marginalised young people. The principal objective is to provide practical and sustainable solutions in building the youth’s skills-set for employability purposes. Additionally, The Clar Hope City aims to address underlying barriers and challenges to success faced by the youth.

First Lady's Girl Child Empowerment Initiative

Following the First Lady’s visit to the Henan Ruimei Hair Products CO., LTD; a large hair products factory in Xuchang, Henan, China for the Summit of China-Africa Cooperation on July 2018, the Clar Hope Foundation reached an agreement with the company to train 30 Liberian young women in hair production^[10] at their factory for the period of 3-4 weeks. The girls returned in August after successful completion of the training and will be employed by the company in Liberia. This initiative part of her Girl child Empowerment Initiative^[11] will promote female empowerment and gender equality through promoting financial independence, as well as, contributing to increase in the nation's Gross Domestic Product and Human Capital Development. The products from the company will also be exported to other countries in the sub-region.

Future Projects

o The construction of a modern maternal and infant hospital in order to aid reduction of maternal and infant mortality causes and rates.

o Building a school for the less fortunate children^[12]

o Launching of the First Lady's School feeding program, in addition to, a farming project for and by women that will generate funds.

o Provision of mobile clinics to assist women living in remote areas to access quality Antenatal/Postnatal Care Services to further aid in reducing maternal and infant mortality.