Liberia: Karen Koukou Twaglee "My personal perspective on the More Than Me tragedy and the Unprotected documentary"

Karen KouKou Twaglee speaks against More Than Me Saga

The CEO and Founder of PDS Self-Esteem Image Campaign, Karen KouKou Twaglee opened up on Facebook, expressing her views on the More Than Me tragedy. Check out her views below

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took me 5 days to finish the documentary because I couldn't stomach it, because it triggered emotions of my own nightmares with abuse. DISGUSTED, ASHAMED, HORRIFIED, and ABANDONED are some of the adjectives and raw emotions I felt as I watched and listened to the testimonies of girls that were abused, raped, and impregnated by a HIV infected man that was supposed to protect them!

As a mother of girls, a Liberian, a founder of a non-profit whose mission is to educate, empower, and inspire girls, and a SURVIVOR of molestation and rape myself, this is personal!

The lack of accountability, integrity, responsibility, leadership, and cultural competency of Katie Mayler and her board of directors further highlights the danger of the Savior Complex or White Knight Syndrome. 

This syndrome is a personality construct that a first glance appears to be purely motivated by the urge to help but it is embedded in narcissm which can often lead to dangerous path if not checked such is the result of the tragedly and cover up at More Than Me Academy. 

More Than Me website states that their stance on Gender based violence is "...a zero tolerance policy for abuse. When our founder, Katie Meyler, met girls that were forced to give oral sex for clean drinking what, she knew she had to do something."

I wish that stance was a philosophy in action when most needed! I wish Katie had done something to stop her HIV infected intimate partner who was a key staff member at More Than Me Academy from hurting the girls that she promised to protect! I wish her board of directors would have cared less about their image and celebrity and did something! I wish something, anything could have been done to protect our most vulnerable girls! Not only were they unprotected, they have been broken and any hope of a bright future is now cast with uncertainty as their reality is now living with the stigma of HIV! My Lord! My heart breaks for this unimaginable tragedy!

My prayer is that this is a loud wake up call for Liberia in evaluating the culture of rape, laws and governance in protecting our most vulnerable population, accountability of NGOs, and our trust and love for all things Western. 

My prayers are with everyone impacted, especially the girls. No justice can suffice, but I hope something is done to hold More Than Me leadership accountable, in addition to bringing forth positive change in Liberia.

I honor the courage of the 10 brave girls that testified against the monster that was Macintosh Johnson. We all have the Power to Do Something in ensuring that this does not happen again! We can use our voices! Speak up! 

#morethansad #morethanmeacademy #morethansick #morethanpainful #unprotected #justiceforourgirls