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FROM CELEBRATION TO EMPOWERMENT: DISTRICT #13 REP. EDWARD P. FLOMO TURNS BIRTHDAY INTO DAY OF GIVING — DONATES OVER LRD 1 MILLION TO MARKET WOMEN AND BREAKS GROUND FOR MODERN VOCATIONAL SCHOOL AT MOTHER KEBBEH JUNIOR HIGH
BY: Rufus Divine Brooks Jr.
BATTERY FACTORY, MONROVIA — What began as a birthday celebration ended as a powerful statement on service and development.
Montserrado County District #13 Representative, Hon. Edward Papay Flomo, turned his birthday into a day of giving — interacting with thousands of constituents, donating over One Million Liberian Dollars (LRD 1,000,000) to market women for business empowerment, and breaking ground for a modern vocational school at the Mother Kebbeh Junior High School in his district.
Hundreds of citizens, supporters, friends, well-wishers, and community members gathered at his private residence in Battery Factory to celebrate with him, offering prayers, goodwill messages, and congratulations.
But for Rep. Flomo, the day was not just about celebration.
It was about giving back to the people who entrusted him with leadership.
In line with his long-standing empowerment program, Rep. Flomo interacted directly with constituents across District #13 and donated over LRD 1,000,000 to market women to support business empowerment.
The donation, split across major markets including New Georgia Junction Market and the Supermarket Community on the Japan Freeway, is intended to boost small businesses, improve livelihoods, and give women traders the capital to expand their trade.
Market women, many of whom form the backbone of Liberia’s informal economy, welcomed the gesture, describing it as timely and life-changing.
The donation continues a pattern for Rep. Flomo, who has previously donated cash, paint, building materials, and rice to markets and communities in District #13.
In October, he donated four buckets of paint and LRD 100,000 to market women at New Georgia Estates Market, saying he was using his personal salary because District Development Funds had not been released.
Flomo has consistently maintained that he has been compelled to use resources from his personal salary and legislative benefits to fund projects in the district amid what he describes as withholding of district allotments.
In another major highlight of the day, Rep. Flomo broke ground for the construction of a modern vocational school at the Mother Kebbeh Junior High School in District #13.
The project, he said, is aimed at giving young people in the district practical, employable skills in trades such as carpentry, masonry, electrical installation, tailoring, cosmetology, and computer studies — so they can earn a living even without a university degree.
The move aligns with a growing national push for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a pathway to youth employment.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has acknowledged that Liberia lacks a single unified TVET framework and that institutions do not yet operate under a fully standardized curriculum, making district-level investments critical.
For residents of District #13 which includes densely populated communities like New Georgia, Battery Factory, Chocolate City, and Jamaica Road — the vocational school is seen as a long-term investment in youth empowerment, crime reduction, and economic self-reliance.
As the celebrations climaxed at Battery Factory, supporters described the day as a reflection of Flomo’s leadership style, combining celebration with service.
From donating to market women to breaking ground for a school to train the next generation, Rep. Flomo used his birthday to argue that leadership must be measured not by titles, but by impact on ordinary lives.
The day ended with prayers, music, and renewed calls from constituents for sustained development in District #13.