Mineke Foundation

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Mineke Foundation Mineke Foundation builds economic self-reliance for youth & women through skills & business training, microloans and business coaching.

We also run Damiefa School, offering affordable private education from nursery through Grade 9. Contact details: +231778158020 | +231881676657

Mineke Foundation is an NGO founded in 2009 by Tonia Dabwe to continue her parents' work. The foundation works in Liberia, West Africa, one of the poorest countries in the world. It is named after Tonia's mother who went missing during the Liberian civil war. Mineke Foundation focuses on the economical empowerment of people in Dabwe Town and surrounding communities, helping them become self-reliant. We provide skills & business training, affordable kindergarten & primary school education, and micro loans. Our goal is to enable residents of Dabwe Town and surrounding communities to take responsibility for their own lives, development and futures. Founder Tonia Dabwe says: "Back in 1968, my parents were the first inhabitants of the area that is today known as Dabwe Town. The community that grew around them named itself after my father to honor the efforts my parents made to help develop the community. Their efforts were centred around my father's vision that a country dependent on food imports, is a country enslaved. My father dedicated his life to teaching others. First through his work at the Liberian ministry of Agriculture, and later through his 4-acre experimental farm, where he showed visitors on a daily basis what could be achieved with simple and inexpensive methods, using only what is indigenous to Liberia. Through the Damiefa primary school, founded in 1982, he taught schoolchildren elementary skills and basic agriculture, which they could use when helping their families grow their own food. In addition to this, they built roads, constructed simple bridges, introduced running water and electricity, sponsored schoolchildren, and supported small businesses. The Liberian civil war, which started on Christmas Eve, 1989, put an end to their work, and eventually, destroyed most of what they had worked so hard to attain and their family happiness. My mother Mineke was abducted by rebels and has been missing since. But now a new and peaceful era has begun. My vision is to continue what my parents started. I founded Mineke Foundation in January 2009 to pursue this objective."

Before a loan, comes the learning. 📚Our Business Trainer recently led a one-day training for Women's Club members who ap...
05/08/2026

Before a loan, comes the learning. 📚

Our Business Trainer recently led a one-day training for Women's Club members who applied for a microloan. The training covered the common challenges small business owners face. It's a step every member takes after we've assessed her business and before she receives her loan.

The session gave members space to share their experiences openly, ask questions, and learn from one another. Discussions focused on managing finances, dealing with customers, and finding practical ways to grow a business.

Members left with more confidence and stronger business knowledge, ready to put their loans to work.

Growing a business takes more than a good idea — it takes the right skills. 📈This month, our Women's Club members contin...
30/07/2026

Growing a business takes more than a good idea — it takes the right skills. 📈

This month, our Women's Club members continued their one-on-one business coaching, guided by our business trainer/coach. Together we worked on record keeping, customer service, separating personal and business finances, and planning for growth.

We're already seeing progress: members are adopting better record-keeping habits, building stronger saving routines, and managing their business finances with more confidence.

It's steady, practical work that is helping our women build businesses that last.

Our Women's Club recently came together for a two-day training on Gender-Based Violence. 🤝Over two days, members learned...
22/07/2026

Our Women's Club recently came together for a two-day training on Gender-Based Violence. 🤝

Over two days, members learned about women's rights, how to recognise different forms of violence, where to seek help, and the support services available to survivors. We also spent time on child protection and safeguarding — how parents, caregivers and the wider community can keep children safe from abuse, neglect and harm.

For many of our women, this was the first time they had received training on these topics. They told us it gave them a clearer understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and the courage to pass that knowledge on to others.

When women know their rights, whole communities grow stronger.

Small businesses are the backbone of our community. 🌍On 27 June, our Women's Club marked Global Micro, Small and Medium-...
20/07/2026

Small businesses are the backbone of our community. 🌍

On 27 June, our Women's Club marked Global Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day by taking the celebration where it belongs — into the local markets.

Members walked around Dry Rice Market, meeting the women who run the stalls: the fish sellers, the greens sellers and the traders selling cassava, plantain and coconut. They shared practical business messages about good customer care, keeping records, saving a little from each day's sales and encouraged everyone to keep learning and growing.

Rain fell for much of the day, but our members stayed committed. Because every business counts, and when small businesses grow, the whole community grows with them.

Support local. Buy local. Grow together.

Throwback to the end of May, when our Women's Club celebrated International Menstrual Hygiene Day! 🌸Members put their me...
15/07/2026

Throwback to the end of May, when our Women's Club celebrated International Menstrual Hygiene Day! 🌸

Members put their menstrual hygiene training into practice, sharing what they had learned with girls and women in their communities. They talked openly about why good menstrual hygiene matters, encouraged girls and women to take care of themselves during their periods, and answered questions on a subject that too often goes undiscussed.

The result? More girls and women now have the information they need to manage their menstrual health with confidence and dignity.

Our members said it best: there is real joy in passing on knowledge that can change someone's day-to-day life.

100% of microloans repaid. Again. 💯 Every year, the women in our Women's Club in Liberia show what's possible when suppo...
08/07/2026

100% of microloans repaid. Again. 💯

Every year, the women in our Women's Club in Liberia show what's possible when support is built on trust, not charity.

They don't just receive loans. They save together, learn together, and hold each other accountable.

Want to understand what's really behind it?
Read more → minekefoundation.org/why-100-microloan

And if you'd like to help more women access a microloan this year:
Donate 💚 → minekefoundation.org/donate/

At our  School, art is not a nice extra. It's part of the regular timetable and part of our belief that children deserve...
01/07/2026

At our School, art is not a nice extra. It's part of the regular timetable and part of our belief that children deserve more than just exam preparation.

That sounds simple. But in practice, it takes real courage from our teachers.
Many of them grew up in schools where creativity had no place. They were never taught this way. And now they're being asked to teach differently using materials they never had access to as children, exploring methods that are completely new to them.

And they're doing it. Slowly, lesson by lesson, they're discovering that art helps children understand things better. Observe more closely. Express ideas they couldn't put into words.

One of our science teachers recently used drawing to help students tell apart harmful and harmless plants. Not because it was fun, but because it worked.
That's what we're building at Damiefa School. Not just a place where children learn to read and write, but a place where they learn to think, create and see the world around them.

We think every child deserves that. If you do too, give this post a like or a heart. It means a lot to us to know you're with us. 💚

Behind every classroom is someone shaping futures.💚This month, we're proud to spotlight Baze Lawubah—a teacher, dean, mo...
29/06/2026

Behind every classroom is someone shaping futures.💚

This month, we're proud to spotlight Baze Lawubah—a teacher, dean, mother of two, and a former Damiefa School student.💚

Baze joined the Damiefa School team five years ago and has played an important role in helping the school grow into the learning environment it is today.

Driven by courage, determination, and a passion for education, she continued her own academic journey while teaching, earning an Associate of Arts in Education and a “C” Certificate in Teaching.

Today, she teaches kindergarten and arts education, helping shape the next generation of learners in the very school that once helped shape her.

Her story is a powerful reminder of what is possible when education comes full circle.

Meet Hawa 👋  She's a former teacher who now works as Women's Club Assistant at Mineke Foundation, and her job is as much...
28/06/2026

Meet Hawa 👋 She's a former teacher who now works as Women's Club Assistant at Mineke Foundation, and her job is as much about encouragement as coordination.

One moment she remembers clearly: a woman who had no idea what business to start. Hawa convinced her to try the pastry training. A few weeks later, that woman was selling kala in her community, growing more confident every day.

Read her full story → minekefoundation.org/meet-hawa/

Who in your life has been that steady, encouraging presence? 💚

When a woman learns a skill, it rarely stops with her.🌱At our Women's Club, we've watched mothers come in to learn soapm...
25/06/2026

When a woman learns a skill, it rarely stops with her.🌱

At our Women's Club, we've watched mothers come in to learn soapmaking, tailoring, and financial planning—and go home and teach their children what they learned. Business becomes a family conversation. Independence becomes the norm, not the exception.

That's the real multiplier effect of women's empowerment: it doesn't stay in one pair of hands.

Today, we're thinking about the girls in Dabwe Town who are growing up watching their mothers lead. They're already learning what's possible.

💬 Who was the woman in your life who showed you what strength looks like? Tell us below.⬇️

Address

Damiefa School Compound, 12th Street, Dabwe Town
Gardnersville

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+231778158019

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