MONROVIA – A charity launched by a president’s son carries a double weight. Spark Foundation Liberia arrives promising baby kits, computer labs and health support. Its founder is Joseph Boakai Jr. His mother, the first lady, gave its warmest endorsement. The health minister attended as special guest. That proximity can open doors ordinary charities knock on for years. It also invites scrutiny of funding, partnerships and delivery. The concrete test is already dated. Two free computer labs are due at Boatswain and Duazon public high schools in March 2027. The sharper signal came from Health Minister Dr. Louise Kpoto. She urged the blankets beyond three hospitals, into communities where need runs deepest, as THE ANALYST reports.
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The Spark Foundation Liberia, established by Joseph Boakai Jr., son of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, was officially launched in Monrovia on Monday, October 26, 2026, in collaboration with the Angel Foundation. It pledged to empower young people and support the country’s health and education sectors.
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The ceremony at the Royal Hotel brought together government officials, humanitarians, medical doctors and business partners, a mix that reflects the foundation’s cross-sector ambitions. Its focus areas include youth empowerment and targeted interventions in health and education.
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Speaking at the launch, Boakai Jr., the foundation’s CEO, said Spark will work with partners to address gaps in services affecting young Liberians, particularly in access to quality healthcare and education.
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He said the foundation has already begun distributing items for newborns and their mothers, including blankets, disposable or reusable diapers, baby suits, wipes, sanitary pads for mothers, towels, winter hats, baby soap, Vaseline, baby alcohol and detergent.
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“So it was like a start-up kit as well so that besides using it, the mother knows what she’s going to have to need, you know, over time,” he said. Boakai Jr. said youth empowerment will remain at the center of the foundation’s work, beginning with computer literacy programs in public schools across the country.
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Computer labs for public schools
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He said the foundation grew out of his own perspective and experience. “I started SPARC because I believe our young people deserve that opportunity. I want to help bridge the gap between their potential and the tools they need to realize it,” he said.
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He continued: “That’s why education, technology, youth development and healthcare are at the heart of what we hope to accomplish.”
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He thanked partners from Blue Crest University, which he said has embraced the foundation’s vision of expanding access to technology and education.
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The two are working to set up computer learning facilities and create opportunities for young Liberians.
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The first two free computer labs, he said, will be running in March 2027 at the Boatswain Public High School in Montserrado County and the Duazon Public High School in Margibi County.
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“The actual facilities are already renovated, the computers are already available, we have furniture, we’re providing free internet,” he said.
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Technology education will be offered to students, and surrounding communities will have access to the labs after school. The aim, he said, is “using technology to empower yourself, not just to use a computer.”
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Angel Foundation founder and CEO Dr. Olivia Tchanque praised Spark for the collaboration on humanitarian work in Liberia. She said her organization operates across Africa, assisting newborn babies and making interventions in the health sector. She vowed to work with Spark to address health sector challenges in Liberia.
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First lady seeks lasting transformation
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Liberia’s first lady, Kartumu Yarta Boakai, who is Boakai Jr.’s mother, commended both organizations and said every child deserves warmth, dignity and a beginning filled with possibilities.
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“I commend my son Joseph and the entire Spark Foundation team,” she said, thanking the Angel Foundation, health workers, partners, volunteers and “every person whose hands have turned compassion into something a mother can actually touch.”
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She warned that the initiative should not stop at a launching ceremony but should mark the start of a transformation in the health sector, and said she remains supportive of it. “Let Spark continue to educate, empower, heal, and transform,” she said. “A service that expects repayment is a transaction. But service that expects nothing is compassion.”
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Kpoto urges community outreach
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Health Minister Dr. Louise Kpoto, special guest at the ceremony, said the program responds to the practical needs of mothers and young children.
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“When families think about welcoming a new baby, we only think about the joy it brings. But with some family, that joy brings worry,” she said. “A mother may be asking herself, do I have what my baby needs? How will I afford the basic needs?”
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She said that while some families take a blanket for granted, a small gift of one can mean a great deal to others who cannot afford it. Dr. Kpoto urged the organizers to go beyond JFK, Redemption and Rennie Jackson hospitals and take the blankets into communities, where, she said, they are needed most.
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