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First Person
Connecting young
Liberians and
businesses boosts
spirits as well as knowhow
for rebuilding a
country
Internships Open Doors To Recovery
Photo: Deuce Greenfield
Freeman B. Woahloe, Jr., electrical
engineer, Liberia.
“I saw a chance to come
home and help rebuild my
country, especially after
being away so long,” said
Freeman B. Woahloe, Jr.
Freeman B. Woahloe, Jr. spent 14 years in exile in Ghana
– the entire length of the Liberian civil conflict, waiting for an
opportunity to come back home and be among his people. After
the historic election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Freeman
found his opportunity.
“I saw a chance to come home and help rebuild my country,
especially after being away so long and seeing other African
countries flourish,” Woahloe said. “I wanted to help Liberia do the
same.”
His enthusiasm soon diminished after witnessing the lack of job
opportunities available in post-war Liberia. Despite having a
degree in electrical engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, he still found it
difficult to find employment. He was filling out application after
application and was told that he did not have enough experience.
“There was no hope, I began to get discouraged and thought
about going back to Ghana,” said Woahloe.
Then an ad in a local newspaper provided Woahloe with some
hope. The ad was for USAID Liberia’s Private Sector Internship
Program. The workforce development program is designed to
help Liberians from ages 18 to 35 gain meaningful professional
experience in the private sector and guide them in their search
for employment. Woahloe applied for the program and was
accepted as an electrician.
He was selected as an intern to work as part of another USAID
program with the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to rebuild
the electric power grid for Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. After
completing three months of training, Woahloe was offered fulltime
employment with LEC as a construction supervisor.
Since 2007, USAID Liberia’s Private Sector Intern program has
sponsored 470 interns and created employment for 110 young
Liberians involving more than 40 enterprises and organizations.
Based on lessons learned from the program, USAID is
developing new programs in youth training and employment
to engage a large and idle young population that is potentially
destabilizing in the rebuilding of their country.
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