by
                  Makula Yekeson-Johnson

“Our goal is simple. We provide excellent legal services to corporate and individual clients on their immigration matters. We ensure that our clients are represented by attorneys through all complex stages of litigation matters, business immigration, and family based immigration cases.”   This is the promise that Neufville law firm offers to clients.
       The man behind this promise is a 35-year-old Liberian native.  Edward Dosa-Wea Neufville was born in Yekepa, Liberia.   After the start of a bloody civil war in 1989 (which left the country in ruins and caused the deaths of more than 100,000 people), Neufville and his family were forced to flee from Liberia. They found refuge in neighboring Ivory Coast. The family later migrated to America and settled in Sumter, South Carolina.  There, Neufville was able to finish his high schooling.

        When asked about hurdles in his life, Neufville laughs and references literal physical hurdles he overcame when he broke the state track record for the 400-meter hurdles in track and field. Neufville, a former college athlete, competed for Liberia at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States and the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece. He became the Liberian record holder in the 110-meter high hurdles, the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x100 relay team.  However, Neufville describes his real life hurdle as his speech impediment.  He stutters. Even though stuttering can be a hindrance for some, Neufville did not let it interfere with his dreams.  He became a lawyer; a profession that would require him speak publicly.  The young Liberian wanted to become a lawyer in order to provide a voice to the voiceless and serve as advocate for positive change within the world. He says, ‘I love my work and the challenges that it brings. It is a calling and I love helping people and solving (their) problems."
      Neufville recalls that his late father (a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Liberia) always said that it is better to have a solid reputation and respect than great riches or money. According to Neufville, his father instilled (in him) the concept of humility, hard work, family and Church. Even after he (Neufville) became an adult, when his father would visit, they prayed together before he left for work. For Neufville that was a very endearing act that helped teach him the importance of humility and serves as a constant reminder (to him) that all things come from God.
       Neufville, who studied at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, was recognized (during his final year of law school) by the United States Department of Justice for preforming pro bono work on behalf of a detain indigent Mexican citizen who suffered form schizophrenia.  In 2004, the young lawyer opened a private practice in Baltimore, a city located in the mid Atlantic American state Maryland.  After seeing continuous growth in his client base, the firm was relocated to Silver Spring (also located in Maryland).  Today The Law Office of Edward W. Neufville, III, LLC consists largely of immigrants seeking work visas and citizenship. He also assists large nonprofit humanitarian groups (such as Baltimore-based World Relief) obtain visas for overseas workers.

To learn more about Edward and his work visit the link below:
http://www.neufvillelaw.com/

 
                          by 
                Ashley Buster 

    For  health  advocate  and  educator,  Catherine  Woyee‐Jones,  children  are  the  face  of  the  future.   Because  they  are  the  future,  efforts  must  be  made  to  promote  their  positive  growth.    The  young  Liberian  native  works  to  not  only  improve  the  academic  performance  of  girls,  from  underserved populations,  but  also  their  physical  health  and  well  being  through  her  non  profit  organization,  The  Huuman  Initiative.  Woyee‐Jones’  mission  to  help  children  started  close  to  home. 

Her  (now)  teenage  son  was  overweight.    With  her  help,  he  was  able  to  lose  the  extra  pounds  and  get  on  the  path  to  a  healthy  lifestyle.   Woyee‐Jones  has  also  battled  with  her  weight.    After  coming  to  the  realization  that  health  is  a  significant  part  of  one’s  well  being,  she  was  able  to  lose  118  pounds.    For  her,  it  was  more  than  just  losing  weight,  but  also  maintaining  a  healthy  and  well balanced lifestyle.  With those ideals, The Huuman Initiative was born.    Woyee‐Jones,  who  holds  a  PhD  in  Community  Based  Psychology,  is  also  a  Clinical  Addiction  Specialist.    Having  battled  with  weight  loss  personally,  she  knows  that  food  can  become  an  addiction.    As  with  any  addiction,  it  [food]  can  hinder  one’s 
personal  growth.    So  Woyee‐Jones  designed  her  organization  with  those  thoughts  in 
mind.    The  Huuman  Initiative  offers  stay  healthy  programs,  which  involves  both 
students  and  their  parents  and  provides  them  with  practical  guides  for  living  a 
healthy  lifestyle.    Upon  entering  the  program,  students  and  their  parents  must  first 
sign  a  “commitment  contract”.    Woyee‐Jones  believes  that  the  parents’ 
encouragement  and  involvement  is  an  instrumental  part  of  the  students’  success.  
Once  in  the  program,  students  participate  in  activities  such  as:  journal  writing  (to 
track  physical  activity  and  food  intake),  discussion  groups,  and  academic 
tutoring/enrichment.    The  organization  also  offers  a  mentoring  program  for  high 
school  girls.    The  North  Carolina  based  organization  also  partners  with  local  schools 
and organizations (including The Boys and Girls Club, and The U.S. Army) for some of 
its programing.  Woyee‐Jones is currently making plans to take the Huuman Initiative 
on the national level.   She recently co‐authored a book,  Beyond the Scale  with son, 
Jason.    
 
For  information  about  Catherine,  her  book  and  work  with  the  Huuman 
Initiative,  visit  her  on  the  web  at  www.huuman.org  and 
www.Catherinewoyeejones.com.  
 

                             by
                          Ashley Buster

        
    Yvonne Butler is an obstetrician and gynecologist (native to Liberia). She recently began to fulfill her life long dream to take her medical practice overseas and make a difference on her native continent, Africa.
       

Butler received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Bio Psychology and Cognitive Sciences and her doctorate from the Michigan State College of Human Medicine. In 2011 Butler was presented with The Hippocrates Award by the Henry Ford Hospital's Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology.  The award recognizes the resident who "best practices the art of medicine".  Butler has received other distinguished awards including the  Chief Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Award.  She is currently participating in a two-year clinical research program in the Zambia. The program is an international women’s health fellowship operating through the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  After working in Zambia for about a year now, Butler says she enjoys learning about international medicine and making a difference in Africa. 
        According to Butler she has always wanted to be a doctor. She recalls watching a television program about “Operation Smile” as a child growing up in Liberia.  Operation Smile is a charity that mobilizes medical volunteers to operate on children (around the world) with facial deformities.  After seeing the program, Butler says that her interest in medicine was sparked (specifically in surgery). She enjoyed the human interaction involved in caring for patients. Because of her love of children, she was initially interested in pediatrics. However her mind was shifted after an eight-week obstetrics course, where she realized Obstetrics and Gynecology combined all three of her interests: surgery, human interaction, and work with children. 
         Butler hopes to take her practice back to her native Liberia one day soon. This has always been her goal in becoming a doctor. She believes that there is a significant need for her field in the country.  During a recent trip to Liberia, Butler visited a local hospital where she noted that there appeared to be “too many cooks in the kitchen”. Though people had good intentions, she noticed that not much was being achieved. She hopes to take a team of mentors and educators to Liberia in order to train (Liberian) medical staff and professionals
who work with women and children. Butler wants to eventually open a women and children’s hospital in the country.
            Though faced with obstacles and naysayers along the way, Butler says she kept her faith in God and listened to the encouraging words of her grandmother and father. This helped push her through all the hard times and has made her the woman she is today. She encourages others to follow their dreams and do what they want to do in life, not for money but for love. “That’s what drives you.”

Jane Wlehdi Togba is a native of Liberia.   Togba, a Howard University graduate, who holds a Masters degree in Elementary Education, is changing the way children and their parents experience education, with her interactive and educational enrichment program, FuNation Inc. The idea for FuNation came about while Togba was working as the director of a childcare center.
     Parents at the center complained about the lack of enrichment programs for students. She then became inspired to create a program that would enrich student learning.   Togba
“envisioned a nurturing place where children could grow -- physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. [She] did not believe that education should be taught in a competitive environment. Instead, she imagined an environment filled with the spirit to achieve.”

So, with plenty of encouragement from her fiancé, Phillippe Jubuisson, FuNation Inc. was born.  
FuNation, which is based in Bethesda Maryland, is an academic and extracurricular enrichment program. Designed for children ages 2-12. The program’s enrichment activities include fitness/dance, foreign language (Spanish, French), creative art, hands-on science, computer classes and more. FuNation programs are now offered in more than 50 schools, daycares, and after school programs throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. Togba encourages anyone who has a dream or vision to go for it until it is
realized.  
 
To learn more about FuNation, visit www.funation.org