Ebenezer Norman

Ebenezer Norman is a Liberian philanthropist, humanitarian, public speaker, and founder of the education non-profit A New Dimension of Hope (NDHope). He is involved in humanitarian efforts in Liberia and throughout West Africa, notably for efforts to build schools in attenuated or war-torn communities after the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003 and the Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia in 2015.

Ebenezer Norman
Ebenezer Norman at fundraising event in 2018
Born (1981-06-10) 10 June 1981
Monrovia, Liberia
EducationLeading economic growth, Harvard University, BA in Organization Development, Regis University; Master of Development Practice, Regis University[1]
OccupationActivist]
Known forHumanitarian activism, female education activism,[2] Popular education activism

Early life

Norman was born in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1981 and moved to the United States as a teenager on a student visa.[3] In the aftermath of the Second Liberian Civil War, Norman returned to Liberia to assist with peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. It was at this time he first connected with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee.[4] In 2010, while on a tour of the school system in Monrovia, Norman was inspired to develop an organization that would construct and manage school systems in Liberia that could be held to the same academic standards as the school systems in the United States.[5]

On this basis, Norman was granted an opportunity to study Non-profit Organization Development at Regis University and founded the organization NDHope while an undergrad at the university. He self-funded NDHope in its early stages by working part-time as an HR Rep at Dish Network and Comcast Cable.[6] It was during this period that Norman garnered funding in order to build his first school in Troyah Town, Liberia.[7]

Career

New Dimension of Hope

While still struggling to fundraise on behalf of NDHope, Norman managed to gather the funding to construct his first school through his personal savings and bank loans while living in Denver, Colorado.[8] He managed the resources and labor of the school's construction from the United States, traveling a few times to Liberia to oversee it.[9] After the initial construction of this first school, the outbreak of Ebola in the region forced all educational buildings in the area to close.[10] By the time the virus had subsided, the school had been largely abandoned and decrepit.

The closure of this first school due to the Ebola outbreak was the catalyst for an expanded fundraising effort.[11] Norman brought on a new team of media strategists and fundraisers to increase visibility and showcase the work he was doing in Liberia.[12] The new strategy included a crowd-funding campaign in which Leymah Gbowee offered to write handwritten letters to the highest donors and was a success.[13] The school re-opened in 2015 and Gbowee cut the ribbon at the ceremony.[14]

School's destruction

Less than a year after the inaugural school's construction, internal real estate issues between the government of Liberia and the University of Liberia campus near the site of the school resulted in the school's destruction.[15] This resulted in a public outcry on behalf of Norman and NDHope. In the two years following the incident, both Leymah Gbowee and Dr. Jerry Brown, one of Time magazine's 2014 People of the Year, attended fundraisers on behalf of NDHope.[16]

In 2019, the school was rebuilt in a neighboring village. The new school, according to a Facebook post by the organization, is more than three times as big as the original school and includes updated facilities and technology.[17]

Currently, plans for a third school are underway.[18]

Awards

Ebenezer Norman is a recently elected Global Goodwill Ambassador (GGA). In 2013, he was a nominee of the World of Children award. He was also a recipient of the Leaders Overcoming Obstacles to Peace or LOOP Award.[19]

Personal life

Norman currently lives in Denver Colorado. Norman has served as a leader for various other organizations, including the "Father's Project".[11]

References
  1. "Hope Amidst Ebola". regis.edu.
  2. "Helping Young Women Survivors of War in Liberia". 27 May 2015.
  3. "Ebenezer Norman part" – via YouTube.
  4. "Nobel Peace Prize Winner Receives Award in Arvada | Arvada, CO Patch". Patch.com. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  5. "Colorado man opens school in rural Liberia".
  6. "Colorado group preparing to open school in Liberia".
  7. "Ebola delays Colorado man's school opening in Liberia".
  8. 9News:Colorado group preparing to open school in Liberia. In one of the countries hit hardest by Ebola, 'A New Dimension of Hope' hopes to live up to its name. 9NEWS at 5 p.m. 04/05/15. http://www.9news.com/story/news/2015/04/05/colorado-group-preparing-to-open-school-in-liberia/25330805/
  9. Denver man's school in Liberia on hold till Ebola threat fades http://denvercatholicregister.org/denver-mans-school-liberia-hold-till-eb <http://denvercatholicregister.org/denver-mans-school-liberia-hold-till-ebola-threat-fades/#.VH6GATHF-So>
  10. "Denver man's school in Liberia on hold till Ebola threat fades". Denver Catholic. 3 December 2014.
  11. "Educating Children in Liberia". 24 August 2015.
  12. Ebola delays Colorado man's school opening in Liberia http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2014/11/16/ebola-delays-colorado-mans-school-opening-in-liberia/19139027/
  13. Forker, Jennifer. "Regis University Welcomes 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner". Denver Post, 2 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913181254/https://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2018/08/regis-university-welcomes-2011-nobel-peace-prize-winner/221699/.
  14. "Thousand Oaks' Anthony Angelini gives awards address for second time". Ventura County Star.
  15. "As New School along with village in Liberia destroyed, Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee Makes Appeal -". 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016.
  16. "Thousand Oaks resident Anthony Angelini gives awards speech". Ventura County Star.
  17. "We did it!!!!!!! Our school has finally been completed. 1000 children will now have access to quality education. Help us make our September opening day a success by volunteering for one of our drives!!! A big thanks to all of our supporters!" – via Facebook.
  18. "New Dimension of Hope Brings Hope To Liberia's Youthful Population, Built Modern School". 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019.
  19. "Our Team". A New Dimension of Hope. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
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