Building a Brighter Future: Empowering Women at Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center
Lovetee Gboyah, 22, at Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. © Unicef/Vincent Tremeau/Studio Humanity
At Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center in Liberia, women are finding new pathways to empowerment and self-sufficiency. Supported by UNICEF Liberia, the centre provides training in business management, accounting, and practical skills like soap-making. For women like Lovetee Gboyah, 22, mother of a 9-months-old, who joined the program in May, these skills are opportunities to build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
“I came here to learn something that will help me earn.”
Lovetee Gboyah, 22, learns how to make soap at Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. © Unicef/Vincent Tremeau/Studio Humanity
Lovetee describes how learning to make and sell soap has given her a newfound sense of purpose. “I came here,” she says, “to learn something that will help me earn.” Through the soap-making training, she has developed the knowledge to create a product and the skills to sell it, enabling her to contribute financially to her household. It’s a chance, she explains, not only to make money but to feel proud of her work.
Trainers show the process of soap making at Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. © Unicef/Vincent Tremeau/Studio Humanity
At Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center, the training doesn’t stop at learning a trade. Women are also guided in essential business skills, from basic accounting to planning for growth. With a focus on sustainable income, the program aims to empower participants to manage finances effectively and make strategic decisions that benefit their families and communities.
Lovetee Gboyah, 22, and other women follow the process of soap making at Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. © Unicef/Vincent Tremeau/Studio Humanity
Lovetee’s journey shows how empowerment through skills and business training can transform lives. With her earnings, she now dreams of expanding her small business and supporting her children’s education. In a community where financial independence is rare, these women are breaking down barriers, supported by a centre committed to helping them thrive.
Through this UNICEF-backed initiative, the Buchanan Youth Opportunity Center continues to foster resilience, skills, and hope, creating lasting change for women, their families, and the community.
