Bill Massaquoi - and the birth of Rebuild Africa

Bill Massaquoi, Founder and President of Rebuild Africa, was born in Lofa, the northernmost county of Liberia, on the border of Sierra Leone and Guinea The 4th of 24 children from a large African polygamous home, Bill and his siblings lacked many of the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and parental care. In fact this situation forced his father to send many of his children to live with extended relatives. While his family moved a lot during his early childhood, when he was 9, Bill's father returned with the family to his home town in Lofa.

At the age of 12, Bill had to leave his family to get an education. In the years that followed, Bill not only experienced the reality of living extreme poverty, but also lived without the vital parental supervision and support that a child needs so desperately at such an age. During his 4 years of elementary and junior high school, Bill spent more than 3 hours walking to and from school each day. For food he had to compete fiercely with other kids living under similar conditions for wild fruits. The pressure of this lifestyle drove many of his friends into the streets, where they became thieves and gang members. Bill still wonders how he avoided a similar fate. "I count myself blessed”, he says. Today Bill has great empathy for the thousands of children who end up on the streets each day through no fault of their own.

These experiences taught him the enduring values of courage and hope, despite adverse situations. “I always dreamt of a better future, so when many of my friends dropped out of school, I stayed on to get a high school education,” he says. Subsequently Bill continued his education at the University of Liberia, graduating with honors in economics.

There were many in Bill’s little village of less than 500 people who doubted his potential to obtain a university degree. Their astonishment grew when he not only achieved his goal, but also put more than 10 of his siblings and friends through high school and some of them through college – all on his meager salary of $350. Bill’s dream has always been to release untapped potential in others and to remove barriers to opportunities. As a result he has become a local hero and role model.

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