FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Liberian Development Foundation initiates major relief campaign for war torn Liberia

The Liberian Development Foundation is pleased to announce the launching of a major relief campaign in the interest of beleaguered and war-torn Liberia. The campaign is to gather donations of vital resources for assisting the urgent need for relief and institutional rehabilitation in the aftermath of fourteen years of destructive civil war.

The Liberian Development Foundation is a non-profit, 501© (3) organization with the primary operational objective of assisting socio-economic development and human service programs exclusively in Liberia. The Foundations program in 2002 was the gathering and shipment of textbooks and library materials for distribution to the nations poorly equipped schools. Four container loads of books and materials were shipped from the United States and distributed through the Catholic Educational Secretariat in Liberia. The current campaign which is planned to be more elaborate, considering the level and key areas of needs in the country - including nutritional, medical, educational and logistical - to support reactivation of basic services in this war-torn nation.    
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. Joseph D. Z. Korto, is a native of Liberia and a resident of the United States for two decades. Dr. Korto received his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. He has worked for a number of educational establishments in the State of Maryland, including the Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore City Community College, Baltimore County Community College, Youth Services International and the Maryland State Department of Education. Dr. Korto was an educator in Liberia prior to his coming to the United States, and rose to become a Chief Education Officer, equivalent to a schools superintendent in the American system. Dr. Korto plans to return to his native country and continue his contribution to the redevelopment and revitalization of his country.
Dr. Korto is an activist for democratic, political and social reforms in Liberia. He is Past President of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), the umbrella organization for an estimated 300,000 strong Liberian community in the United States, as well as a well-respected opinion leader among his fellow compatriots. His vision for Liberia is one of meaningfully utilizing his American experience to make a difference in his struggling country.