The most meaningful partnerships can start their life in the most unexpected places. For Cooperative Aid, one of those partnerships began on a flight to Liberia. While traveling to serve communities in Liberia, Cooperative Aid President Michele Wyatt met Clay Crain of APM Terminals. What began as a conversation during the flight soon became something much greater. After visiting Bright Star Orphanage and witnessing the needs of the children firsthand, APM Terminals joined Cooperative Aid in a shared vision: creating a safer, healthier future for the children who call Bright Star home.
Bright Star Orphanage, located in the rural Toudee District about an hour and a half from Monrovia, was founded in 2014 during Liberia’s Ebola epidemic.
Over the years, Cooperative Aid has worked alongside the orphanage to improve living conditions for the children.
Volunteer construction teams helped build a new dormitory, install bunk beds and mattresses, and create a safer, more comfortable place for the children to sleep. Medical and dental mission teams have also served the surrounding communities, providing care, donating equipment, and training local healthcare workers who continue serving their communities today.
Although significant improvements had been made, one major need remained: Every meal was still prepared over an open fire. Cooking outdoors exposed caregivers and children to smoke, harsh weather, and the constant risk of burns. There was no refrigeration to safely store food and no dining area where the children could gather together.
After learning about these challenges, APM Terminals partnered with Cooperative Aid to help make a new vision possible. Together, the organizations funded the construction of a modern kitchen and dining hall powered by solar energy. Completed in February 2024 through an investment of more than $40,000, the new building provides a safe, clean, and functional space where meals can be prepared and shared every day.
After learning about these challenges, APM Terminals partnered with Cooperative Aid to help make a new vision possible. Together, the organizations funded the construction of a modern kitchen and dining hall powered by solar energy. Completed in February 2024 through an investment of more than $40,000, the new building provides a safe, clean, and functional space where meals can be prepared and shared every day.
The kitchen has transformed daily life at Bright Star. Caregivers can now prepare meals more efficiently, food can be stored safely, and the children have a welcoming place to come together as a family around the table. The facility also creates opportunities for long-term sustainability by allowing the orphanage to provide small food services within the local community, helping generate additional income to support its ongoing needs.