From Two Pairs of Flip-Flops to a Movement of Hope: The Hope For Liberia Story

Every great mission starts small. For Eli Gbayee, founder of Hope for Liberia, it started with two barefoot little girls and a pair of flip-flops.

But to understand why that moment mattered so much, you have to understand where Eli came from.

A Childhood Interrupted, A Second Chance Given

At just four years old, Eli was separated from his family during Liberia’s civil war. He spent his early years in refugee camps, focused on nothing more than surviving each day. There was no school, no classroom, no chance to simply be a child. The war had taken that away.

In 1999, at age 14, Eli received an extraordinary opportunity: to come to the United States. Expecting to be placed behind his peers academically, he was instead placed in high school due to his age. He attended Absegami High School in Egg Harbor City, dedicating himself fully—attending summer school, studying late, and seizing the opportunity. He graduated from high school and later from Stockton University.

“I know firsthand what it means to have an opportunity taken away,” Eli says, “and I also know what it means to have someone give you a second chance.”

That belief — that education can change the entire trajectory of a life — is the seed from which Hope for Liberia grew.

The Moment It All Began

In 2013, Eli revisited Liberia after 24 years. During his visit with family, he met two young girls who lacked something many consider basic: shoes. He purchased each of them a pair of flip-flops, but afterward, he ran out of funds.

So he called his church, Second Baptist Church in Atlantic City. The youth ministry sent $250. With it, Eli purchased roughly 200 pairs of flip-flops and distributed them to children throughout the community.

That single act of generosity — one phone call, one gift, one community stepping up — became the spark for everything that followed.

Eli returned to the U.S., gathering clothing, school supplies, and toiletries. High school students assisted in packing donations. Churches, schools, and neighbors united to raise enough to send a full 40-foot container of supplies to Liberia. Eli personally traveled to distribute the aid—something he continues today, driven by his childhood memory of watching donated goods vanish in a refugee camp before reaching those in need. He ensures this never occurs on his watch.

Officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2014, Hope for Liberia has since grown from flip-flops into a full mission: educational sponsorships, school supplies, clean water initiatives, medical partnerships, and holiday food drives for struggling families.

A Mission Rooted in Gratitude

Eli’s story is remarkable not only for his achievements but for the spirit behind them. He reflects on his journey with gratitude rather than pride—thanking God, the teachers and communities that welcomed him, America for what he calls “heaven on earth,” and every donor and volunteer who has supported Hope for Liberia’s growth.

“I cannot take credit for everything that has happened,” he says. “I believe God has been at the center of this entire journey.”

That gratitude fuels a genuine hope for the future — one where the 125 students Hope for Liberia sponsors each year don’t just stay in school, but grow up to become the doctors, teachers, lawyers, and leaders their communities need. It’s already happening: two sponsored students graduated high school this year, one bound for medical school dreams and the other for law. Eli calls this a “ripple effect” — one child’s education lifting an entire family, an entire village, for generations to come.

Bringing Clean Water and Healthcare to Liberia

Eli’s vision for Hope for Liberia has always stretched beyond the classroom, because he knows a child can’t learn on an empty stomach or while sick. Two initiatives currently underway reflect that same hopeful, whatever-it-takes spirit that started with a pair of flip-flops.

Hope for Liberia is working to fund a hand-pump well for a community in Liberia, with an estimated cost of around $2,500 for the entire project. The organization actively seeks churches, schools, sororities, fraternities, businesses, and other groups to sponsor a well. Groups that cover the full cost will receive a plaque at the site. This small investment creates a significant impact, providing clean drinking water that benefits every family in the community daily.

Hope for Liberia is expanding its medical collaborations. This year, it teamed up with Project CURE to send a 40-foot container of medical supplies to Liberia’s 14th Military Hospital. Hope for Liberia donated $35,000, which helped secure about $400,000 in equipment. Eli personally traveled to Liberia in February to help unload the container and deliver the donation. Additionally, Hope for Liberia is partnering with Hand International, a U.S. medical team visiting Liberia from November 5–19 to provide free surgeries and healthcare, aiming to connect sponsored students and their families to these services.

Together, these efforts show a mission that’s growing in every direction: not just keeping kids enrolled in school, but making sure they’re healthy, hydrated, and supported enough to actually show up and thrive there.

Join the Story

Currently, Hope for Liberia aims to sponsor 125 students in the upcoming school year—children from Montserrado and Margibi Counties who might be pushed out of school and into hardship without support. A $250 donation covers a year’s tuition and a uniform for one student. No contribution is too small: donations of $25, $50, or $100 are combined until they cover a whole sponsorship, and each donor receives a photo of the student their generosity helped. Additionally, contributing to a clean water well or a medical supply container can provide life-changing aid to an entire community at once.

Just as a $250 gift from a youth ministry led to 200 pairs of flip-flops and eventually grew into a whole mission of hope, your donation today can support a child’s education, provide a family with clean water, or grant a community access to healthcare, paving the way for a brighter future in Liberia. You can sponsor a student, give what you can, or simply share this story with someone who might be interested in helping. Every dollar, prayer, and act of kindness moves a child — and their community — closer to the opportunity that Eli once received.

Give today at www.hope-for-liberia.org, or through Venmo (@Hope-For-Liberia), Cash App ($Hopeforliberia2014), or Zelle (hopeforliberia2014@gmail.com). Hope for Liberia is a registered 501(c)(3), and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.