Hope was Restored

Greetings, my name is Israel J. Mulbah, and I was born July 15, 1997 to a single mother in Lofa County, Republic of Liberia. I graduated with a Bachelors of science degree in Physician Assistance (cumulative GPA 3.40), and a certificate in Peace and Development Studies in 2025 from Cuttington University Bong County. This was possible through the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa’s Scholarship.

I am the eldest of four siblings, all of whom father’s are different due to the unbearable situations my mother was going through as a single mother in Passama Town village where we grew up. One day I decided to ask my mother about the whereabouts of my father, in tears, my mom said while she was growing up in her adolescent years, the first time meeting my father was the moment she got impregnated. He then escaped the village, leaving her in grief and sorrow. The decision to abort the pregnancy was cancelled with the hope that God could make a positive change in her life through her first child. That is how I came into this world.

I started my primary school in Passama public elementary School at age 9 in my mother’s village. After school my mother and I would work on a farm to sustain ourselves for school fees and daily bread. Upon repeating grade 4 due to financial issue I had to move in with my uncle in Phebe. My uncle being a carpenter, enrolled me in a public school, but unfortunately, with the Ebola Crisis 2024 my uncle could not afford my school fees any longer. My only option at that point was to seek help from a family living on Cuttington University campus who promised to help me with school fees. I accepted the offer and started school the same year at the New Life Foundation school of Bethel located at the Phebe. In 2019 I graduated as the valedictorian with cumulative GPA of 90.

Graduating as the valedictorian from my institution I heard about the President’s Work Scholarship Program at Cuttington University for all Bong County high schools valedictorians. I took advantage of the opportunity by writing the entrance for Cuttington University. Upon passing the entrance and being shortlisted for the President Work Scholarship I returned to my mother village with the exciting news. But I was short of $233.50 for my registration fee, this motivated mother and I to go farming (cutting Palm) to generate the funds in order for me to continue my education.

Upon my return with only 47% of the total money for the registration fees, I got help from the family of the campus registrar at Cuttington University at the time. They took full responsibility of tuition from freshmen up to my junior year, at which point they couldn’t continue due to her retirement.

With lingering thoughts of the promise I made to my mother, I felt all hope was gone. That was when I heard about the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa scholarship. It was divine calling that I had all that it took to meet the academic standards for the scholarship. I did apply and was selected, my hope was restored.

Becoming a Physician Assistant was not the plan I had for my career. The plan is to become a medical doctor but with the background I come from, I had to pursue the above degree in order to get something to do while I wait on the manifestation of the bigger dream of becoming a doctor.

Meeting the people at Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa changed the trajectory of my future and now my narrative has changed over time. With the Foundation’s scholar Internship, I have just completed a three month internship at the 14 Military Hospital in Margibi County. In January of 2026 writing my state board exam in order to acquire my license.