More Than A Pair Of Scissors

One woman’s journey to Amani Liberia;

Felicia is a soft-spoken and gentle woman. Her husband attends ABC University. She has witnessed through her husband the power of education and how it can help grow and develop a person. Her own high school experience was interrupted by the birth of her first child, but she longed for this growth for herself and to model it for her children. Her desire to finish her schooling led her to Amani. Without the means to pay for her education, she came to Amani Liberia’s director looking for assistance. She was advised, “instead of relying on someone else to pay for your education, you can have a job at Amani and earn it for yourself.” Felicia considered this carefully as this would introduce her first act of independence in pursuit of her education. The result was a feeling of empowerment. The success or failure of her education would now rest in her own hands.
Felicia returned to Amani the following day eager to embark on this unknown journey of employment. She did not know what would be required. She did not know how she would perform. She was told on her first day that she would learn to cut. Felicia hesitated; she had never held a pair of scissors before. She became visibly disheartened as she fumbled with the scissors and struggled to meet the expectations required of her. Her husband, sensing her discouragement, supported her and said, “It is always good to learn something new – this is the beginning of education.”
Felicia practiced her cutting for two days and then was given patterns to cut. At the end of the month her work was tallied and her first payment delivered. As she stretched out her hand to receive her pay a big smile broke out across her face in recognition that she had just earned her school tuition. Her smile was dignity, her hope was being realized.