16 Young Women Graduate from Rehabilitation Services -Dillon: “We Put Money to Cater to Human Rights”

By Anthony Q.  Jiffan, Jr.

MONROVIA – Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with 16 young women as they graduated from the Center for Rehabilitation and Reintegration (CFRR) in Cooper Farm, Paynesville—a facility he founded and continues to personally fund.

The all-female graduation ceremony, the second of its kind and the sixth overall since CFRR’s inception in 2021, was a deeply emotional event that showcased Dillon’s commitment to Liberia’s fight against substance abuse.

“We put our money in here, and we cater to human beings,” Senator Dillon told the packed audience of family members, lawmakers, and community leaders.

Unlike many politicians who shy away from sustained social programs, Dillon has invested more than US$100,000 of his Senate salary into the CFRR, where rehabilitative services are provided free of charge.

“This is not about politics. This is not about religion. This is about restoring dignity to those who have been forgotten,” he said.

The CFRR, which provides housing, food, counseling, and vocational training, has become a symbol of Dillon’s “people-first approach”—his belief that good governance philosophy that includes direct, compassionate intervention in the lives of the nation’s most vulnerable.

The ceremony’s high moments came when graduates took the stage to share their distressing journeys from addiction to recovery.

Among them was Jonnatta Barclay, whose courage and eloquence moved the crowd.

“We cannot blame others for our addiction,” she said. “We blame ourselves for falling prey to peer pressure and unrealistic promises.”

Her speech was more than a testimony—it was a rallying cry to young Liberians to reclaim their futures.

So moved was Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence who offered Barclay immediate employment in her Capitol Hill office.

Dillon used the platform to deliver a piercing critique of the Executive Branch’s failure to enforce the 2022 amended drug law, which mandates tough penalties for drug importers.

“Every time people ask what the Legislature is doing to fight drugs, they forget the Executive that is supposed to enforce the law,” he said. “If we can reduce importation, the end users won’t see it or take it.”

With more than 200 youth already rehabilitated at CFRR, Dillon’s work stands in contrast to what he described as “official inaction” on a national emergency threatening the country’s future.

He urged fellow lawmakers, NGOs, and private citizens to support and expand initiatives like CFRR.

True to his role not just as a senator but as a father figure, Dillon offered heartfelt advice to families of recovering addicts.

“To the parents, don’t remind your children of their past. Treat them with love and support.”

He announced plans to accept candidates from counties beyond Montserrado and celebrated Grand Cape Mount Senator Dabbah Varpilah’s decision to send two young people to the center for treatment.

Dillon also lauded Pro Tempore Karnga-Lawrence’s pledge to build a male-only facility in Grand Bassa County.

The ceremony drew support from both sides of the aisle. Senator Joseph Jallah of Lofa County contributed $300 to the program and declared, “I envy Senator Dillon because this is what the Ministry of Justice should be doing.”

Liberty Party Secretary-General Martin Kullah added institutional weight to the initiative, pledging L$50,000 monthly and promising to support the center’s graduates through consistent product purchases.

At the occasion where the audience was filled with tears of both sorrow and joy, parents of the graduates shared their pain, including Madam Roseline Amah Giddings, who wept as she recounted her son’s battle with drugs and his current incarceration.

“If nothing is done in the next two to three years, we won’t have a better youth population,” she warned, echoing Dillon’s sense of urgency.

Yet there was also hope, for one father pledged $150 monthly to support the center.

Local educator Yukhiko Amnon vowed to buy goods made by the graduates, encouraging them to stay on the path of dignity and self-reliance.

As Liberia grapples with an escalating drug crisis, Senator Abraham Darius Dillon is quietly building a model that could redefine public service.

With limited resources but abundant political will, his hands-on, heart-first approach has turned despair into triumph for over 200 young Liberians.

And as 16 more young women stepped into a new chapter of their lives this week, they did so not only with renewed self-worth, but also with the full knowledge that a senator saw their pain, invested in their healing, and never gave up on their potential.