In Barseegiah, Liberia, Stephen leads not only through medicine but also by educating and empowering his community. He treats illnesses with compassion, earning trust where there was once doubt. By challenging the stigma around Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Stephen shows that true leadership starts with the courage to care. But his journey to impact began with a challenge.
Stephen first trained as a nurse in Buchanan, driven not by ambition, but by a vision: to heal his people not just with medication, but with knowledge — a vision that saw him often out in the community, seeking those in need and referring them to the clinic for help.
In 2019, while working in the community, Stephen met a young man named James who was suffering from an NTD. Although Stephen recognized the symptoms, he lacked the tools and resources to provide medical help. Yet, he didn’t walk away. Instead, he offered James something just as powerful: encouragement and trust.
That changed when Stephen received training through Effect Hope’s TRANSFORM project. The program equipped him with critical knowledge to diagnose and treat NTDs like leprosy, Buruli ulcer, and lymphatic filariasis—conditions often misunderstood and feared in his community.
“The training helped us understand diseases that many in our community still believe are witchcraft,” Stephen explains. “Now we can show them—it’s not something to fear or be ashamed of. It’s something we can treat.”
With new tools, education and confidence, Stephen returned to James and offered real treatment— free government-provided medicine, proper diagnosis, and above all, dignity. James began to recover. And soon, James was doing more than healing—he was telling others. Educated and empowered, he became a new voice in the community.
“Whenever we apply what we’ve learned, and give the right treatment, it helps the patient. And if it helps the patient, it helps the community,” Stephen says. “What we get in return isn’t money. It’s appreciation. And that’s what matters.” Through Effect Hope’s TRANSFORM project, Stephen and others like him are turning knowledge into healing—and changing lives one conversation at a time.
“We tell people: come to us first. If our medicine doesn’t help, you can always go back to the herbalist,” Stephen says with a smile. “But we know—it will help.”
This is how Stephen leads—not from behind a desk, but out in the villages, down the dusty roads, in conversations where myths are gently untangled and truth is shared. His mission isn’t just to treat people—it’s to teach people. And through that education, he’s building a ripple effect of healing and trust.
Stephen’s story is a reminder that true leadership doesn’t always look like power—it often looks like service. It looks like someone willing to keep learning so that others can start healing. In Stephen’s case, education isn’t just a tool—it’s a lifeline. And he’s using it to lead his community, one person at a time.
