The CYTO Movement has been distributing educational materials to children across southeastern Liberia, targeting areas including Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Kru counties. The supplies, provided through the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs under President Joseph Boakai’s back-to-school initiative, aim to support children whose parents or guardians cannot afford basic school items. The materials include school bags, copybooks, pens, pencils, sneakers, and jackets.
According to CEO Cytarus Grace Dahn, the focus of the distribution is on children whose parents or guardians are struggling to provide basic school items. The consignment includes approximately 5,000 copybooks, 5,000 pairs of sneakers, and a combined 5,000 jackets and reflective jackets. The support is meant to ease pressure on families and help children return to school prepared. Dahn emphasized that the movement’s goal is humanitarian, reaching Liberians who need assistance and working with individuals, organizations, and government institutions willing to support that effort.
In Grand Kru County, more than 800 students, predominantly girls, received school materials, according to a report by journalist James Myking Suah of Grand Kru TV. The distribution mainly targeted children from nursery through third grade, with seven schools reached, including George Toe Washington Elementary School, Assembly of God Mission School, and Pentecostal Foundation School. Children received bags, copybooks, shoes, and other school essentials.
The assistance also extended beyond the classrooms, with elders and young people in Flohken receiving clothing and footwear. CYTO’s National Chairperson, Tommy Wesseh, thanked the Office of the President for supporting the exercise and acknowledged the cooperation of local education officials and community members. He addressed questions about school bags bearing President Boakai’s image, stating that the image was intended to acknowledge the President’s support for the programme, rather than ask beneficiaries to support him politically.
In Maryland County, the team distributed materials to selected schools in Harper and engaged communities in Pleebo. Schools listed among the beneficiaries included Cape Palmas High School, Harper Demonstration School, and Samuel H. Marriem School. Dahn said the assistance was intended to help students from households facing financial difficulties. During her engagement in Pleebo, she raised concerns about learning conditions in rural communities, noting that some children could not read the words printed on a shirt.
The CYTO Movement, founded in 2023, now has about 1,206 members, with a presence in seven counties. The movement grew out of a group of young people brought together to support President Boakai during the elections. After the elections, Dahn began looking for ways to help those young people improve their lives, including providing assistance to attend school or financial support to start small businesses. The movement has also helped young people access scholarships at vocational training institutions and universities.
For the children reached, the support provides basic items they need for school, while for their parents and guardians, it takes some of the pressure off the household budget. Dahn said the movement hopes to secure further support so it can reach more children and communities. The wider tour included stops in Grand Gedeh and River Gee, with the movement reporting that its school materials distribution concluded in River Gee.
Key points
- The CYTO Movement distributed approximately 5,000 copybooks, 5,000 pairs of sneakers, and 5,000 jackets and reflective jackets to children in southeastern Liberia.
- The movement targeted children from nursery through third grade, with a focus on those whose parents or guardians cannot afford basic school items.
- The distribution exercise was part of President Joseph Boakai’s back-to-school initiative, supported by the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
