Liberia: Duazon’s Rock-Crushing Mothers Plead for Support Amid Poverty and Hardship
Margibi – In the impoverished Rock Crusher community of Duazon, Margibi County, single mothers continue to endure grueling labor and daily hardship as they strive to provide for their children with little or no external support.
By: Patience M. Jones, Contributing Writer
These women, many of whom have been abandoned by partners or widowed, rely on crushing rocks under harsh conditions as their only means of survival.
Despite injuries, poverty, and the lack of basic services, they remain resilient, but their struggles highlight the urgent need for humanitarian and community assistance.
Ma Finda Gborie, a mother of eight, has spent over a decade breaking rocks to support her family. She says the physical toll is relentless, and her pain often prevents her from sleeping. Since the death of her partner, she has had no one to depend on.
“It hurts to see other kids in school while my kids are here with me breaking rocks,” she said. Only one of her children currently attends public school due to financial constraints.
Another mother, Garmai Kollie, has been in the same work for 15 years after being abandoned by her husband. Now raising three children alone, Garmai said she dreams of a better life for her family. “I hope my children will succeed and be offered the opportunities that were denied to me,” she said.
Garmai, who left her rural village in search of a better future, is appealing to NGOs and philanthropists to help support her children’s education.
Ma Marie Jimmy has worked in the rock fields for ten years. Her job cost her partial vision when a rock struck her eye. “I have struggled with my sight ever since,” she said, describing the injury as one of many sacrifices made to provide for her children. But poverty forced her son out of school—a fate shared by many in her situation.
Children in the community, some as young as six, can be seen working alongside their mothers. None of them attend school. Instead, they contribute to their family’s daily income by crushing rocks, missing out on the education and childhood experiences that could break the cycle of poverty.
For these women, faith plays a critical role in sustaining their hope. They believe that divine intervention and the kindness of strangers may one day change their fortunes.
While they continue their backbreaking work with limited prospects, the stories of these mothers and their children serve as a powerful call for immediate community engagement, targeted aid, and policy attention. They are not simply surviving—they are waiting for a chance to rebuild their lives and secure a future for the next generation.
