The vision for Petals of Hope International Organization started in 2012. By 2014 after spending many hours in prayers, researching, and reading on how to set up a non-profit organization, I finally had the courage to take the giant step of faith of launching this organization. By the end of 2014 after my book, Out of the Ashes, my journey from Tragedy to Redemption was published, God impressed heavily on my heart the need of standing in the gap for girls and women. Looking at the significant acres of land that my husband, Tony and I had just purchased, it made perfect sense to use this large acreage  of land for such purpose. However, I immediately brushed off the idea from my mind convincing myself that it was an impossible task to undertake. Over and again, the Lord continued to assure me that this was indeed His will and call that He had placed on my life and He wants me to embrace it and He’ll take care of the rest. Unable to no longer say no as God began to make financial provisions for the school and the initial process, by 2016 I finally gave in and said, yes Lord, let your will be done. So, Petals of Hope International Girls Academy was founded in 2016 and the school was established in 2017.

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  My grandmother, Ma Maima, had always been a tremendous inspiration in my life. Her physical and moral supports have helped shaped my life into who I am today. Her great and enormous inspiration and the memories of the high hope she exhibited in giving girls and women a solid foundation for a better place within our culture and society, have compelled me to give back to the needy. I am involved in the lives of women in the church and outside of the church within our communities. Through God’s power, she transformed my life and today I’m doing the same for women and girls who find themselves in similar crisis or situation like I did when I was growing. Ma Maima’s strong believe in educating girls and motivating them to reach their highest potential in society has inspired and encouraged me to establish a nonprofit organization and invest in the lives of young women as well. This is one of the reasons why I’ve also decided to revise my first book that was published; to tell my story of how God had used my dearest grandmother through giving me my early education and impacting my life which I’m using to minister to girls and women today. By so doing, the Lord has given me a platform and a huge opportunity to speak throughout the U.S. and internationally. I’ve also established an all-girls school in Liberia that is tuition-free, which allows families who are financially unable to support their children’s (girls) education to be enrolled there. I am among the first generation of my family to be educated; therefore, I understand and can testify that education is critical and can make long-term impacts in every community and society. The school is called Petals of Hope International Girls Academy and it’s the second all-girls school in Liberia, but the first tuition-free in the country. The school operates through the generosity of churches, partners, donors and supporters from the United States. We make our school and students’ needs known to people by speaking in churches and conferences. From these gifts and donations, we are able to pay our teachers and staff’s salaries, making sure that other activities like field trips, school lunches for many of our students who can’t afford to bring lunches to school every day. Since the opening of our school we also provide Christmas dinners for our students and their families  and of course our teachers and staff every year, which has become a much-anticipated celebration every year. These dinners have become one of the major highlights of our school that not only our students and their families look forward to, but our administration as well. My dear friend and former colleague, Amber Parker, rightly described some of the crisis that girls often encountered in getting their education in Africa.

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 “The new school brought me face to face with the unfortunate reality that for many girls worldwide getting a good education is unaffordable, unavailable, or even unsafe.  For most of the students this was their first opportunity to attend school. That is why my friend Beth started Petals of Hope- to reach her native Country Liberia. She understands that education is critical to making a long-term impact in a community. While our team was there, we were told about how misinformation and lack of knowledge has held women (and men) in bondage and created untold amounts of sexual misuse and abuse. The education offered at Petals of Hope will give these girls enormous knowledge and understanding of a foundation of truth about God, themselves and the world around them. And as the ministry expands, more schools will be started to give more girls the opportunity for an education.”  Just like the knowledge that PHI’s students receive will transform and equip their lives for a better future, knowledge and the gospel power of God have changed my life and empowered me to fulfill my call to ministry that God has placed on my life today. It was the gospel knowledge of salvation that God used to rescue me from darkness and brought me into His light. God, being the source of true knowledge, I believe would help these girls know who He is and have firm and personal relationships with Him in their lives just as I do in my own life every day.