Liberia: Carter Center Opens Book of Condolences for Former US First Lady

The Carter Center-Liberia has opened a book of condolences for its fallen co-founder and former First Lady of the United States of America, Rosalynn Smith Carter, a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving, and women’s rights.

She died on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2:10 p.m. at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96. The former First Lady of the United States died peacefully, with family by her side.

The Carter Center Liberia is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established in Atlanta, Georgia in 1982 by Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States, and his wife, Rosalynn, to advance peace and health worldwide.

The opening of the book of condolences, which took place on Monday, December 4, at the Carter Center Mental Health Program Office in Fish market, Sinkor, serves as a poignant reminder of the impact she had on countless lives. 

In Liberia, Mrs. Carter’s contributions were instrumental in fostering reconciliation and healing wounds inflicted by years of civil unrest. Her commitment to empowering women and advocating for mental health awareness has left an indelible mark on this nation’s progress towards a brighter future.

The signing of the book of condolences for the former U.S. First Lady brought together several top government officials, including the Deputy Speaker, J. Fonati Koffa, the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Administration, Madam Thelma E. Duncan-Sawyer, and other members of the cabinet headed by the Minister of State, Wesseh Blamo, who represented President George Manneh Weah. 

Speaking to the media during the signing of the book of condolences, Carter Center-Liberia Country Representative, James Dorbor Jallah, stated that the formality was delayed for a week in order to afford government officials ample time to grace the occasion since the Center is an important partner of the Government of Liberia (GoL).

According to him, the book of condolence will be opened up until Friday of this week so as to enable more officials to pay homage to the fallen former First Lady, whose work through the Carter Center continues to have a great impact in Liberia, especially when it comes to championing mental health issues in Liberia.

“Prior to the opening of The Carter Center, there was no set mental health program; nothing was in our budget for mental health; there was nothing in the budget for the mental health unit. Mental health was not a priority within our health sector but, with the support that we have had, working with the Ministry of Health, the government has been able to establish a mental health unit and come up with mental health laws and policies. We have trained a lot of health workers to take care of mental health issues,” Jallah noted.

In furtherance of the great impact of the Carter Center’s program in Liberia, he stated: “We have been working with the Ministry of Health and the University of Liberia to establish a curriculum within the medical school. We are currently working with the United Methodist University, and we have established a Masters’ program for mental health. We also work with TNIMA and other providers of health education in the country to institute mental health courses within their programs. So these are the things that the Carter Center has done in terms of mental health. She has been a champion for mental health globally, especially within Liberia.”

Mentioning other significant impacts of the Carter Center, Jallah explained: “The Center has worked on improving our governance process, our rule of law, our justice system, and access to justice, women’s empowerment, and the empowerment of vulnerable people in society. She continued to inspire us through her selfless nature as a person. We should live our lives to render service to society in memory of her.”