One of the primary focuses of the Ri’ayah Foundation is to initiate a quality medical care program in Liberia for those who need it. We are committed to providing basic healthcare to the people of Liberia. In order to achieve this monumental goal, we will work to improve conditions one community at a time. We believe the best way to increase awareness of health issues is through education. One of our current goals is to open an orphanage and complement it by building a school for the children. After all, children are the future of the country, and the best way to give them a bright future is to provide them with quality education. Education paves the way to increased awareness of good nutrition and sanitary practices, leading to improved quality of health, and eventually, to the ability to restore the staff of healthcare facilities with locally trained medical personnel. The lack of basic healthcare affects everyone, especially children. In Liberia, 111 out of every thousand (a little over 11%) of children do not survive to reach the age of five. Liberia has one of the highest infant-to-age-five mortality rates in the world (it’s among the top five countries). Yet many of these deaths are preventable. Children die daily from malnutrition, diseases carried by bacteria in impure drinking water, neonatal defects that may have been prevented through pre-natal care for the mother, and many other preventable causes. With almost 95% of its healthcare facilities destroyed during the civil wars and qualified medical personnel scattered or nonexistent, the number of people who have access to basic healthcare is the lowest in the world. According to various research sites, somewhere between 40 and 51 healthcare facilities were left still functioning in Liberia after the Civil War ended in 2003, with staff scattered and undermanned. This means only about 10% of the Liberian people are close enough to a facility or able to afford access. According to the www.child-sponsorship.com website, only 40 Liberian doctors and 50 documented midwives currently serve Liberia’s entire population. World Health Organization (WHO) data indicates Liberian life expectancy as of 2015 is between 59 and 63 years of age, compared to 76 -82 in the United States, and 81 – 85 in Italy. Join us in helping to bring a positive change to the lives of the poor and the needy!