DISADVANTAGED YOUTHS STORM SKD SPORTS COMPLEX IN DESPERATE APPEAL FOR REHABILITATION

Monrovia, Liberia – August 21, 2025: Hope and desperation collided on Thursday morning as scores of disadvantaged youths, commonly referred to as Zogos, gathered peacefully at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex in Paynesville. With placards in their hands and voices trembling with emotion, they appealed for one thing: a chance to be rehabilitated and a new beginning.

The young men and women believed to be associated with the King Gray Community told journalists that they had been recently displaced from their makeshift shelters, worsening their already fragile living conditions. Many admitted to being trapped in cycles of drug use but expressed an earnest desire to break free.

“We are tired of this life. We want to change,” one of the youths said, his voice heavy with both pain and hope. “We are asking the government and anyone who can help us to give us a second chance.”

Speaking to journalists in a calm and orderly manner, the youths explained that they had been recently dislodged from their community due to ongoing circumstances that have further worsened their already vulnerable conditions. They expressed a strong desire to abandon drug use and reintegrate into society, calling on the Government of Liberia, humanitarian organizations, and philanthropists to come to their aid.

According to the group, their decision to stage the peaceful assembly at the SKD Sports Complex, home to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was intentional, as they wanted to directly capture the attention of national leaders responsible for youth development.

After hours of peaceful demonstration, on the grounds of the Sports Complex, they were relocated to the Gymnasium, where they were met by Deputy Minister for Youth Development, Bryant McGill. Addressing them with empathy, McGill assured the group that the government is preparing to establish rehabilitation centers to address the growing crisis of drug abuse among at-risk youths.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Youth and Sports provided meals for the demonstrators and encouraged them to remain peaceful. McGill further noted that both the Minister of Health and the Minister of Youth and Sports would soon engage the group directly, signaling that their voices had been heard at the highest levels.

For the disadvantaged young men and women at the SKD Sports Complex,  gathered with renewed hope that society may finally be ready to extend a helping hand.