My last birthday felt like a dream come true. We opened the More Than Me Academy for 124 amazing girls. President Sirleaf spoke and cut the ribbon. Parents, expats, donors, and a team of dedicated staff all came together to make it happen. I couldn’t believe it.

Fast forward a year – we’ve made it through one school year and Ebola hits. I’m here with my boots on the ground at the center of the madness that is Ebola. The largest issues are not funding issues or materials issues. They are logistical and capacity issues.

Every day I’m fighting, along with partners on the ground, to organize and implement an effective Ebola response in West Point.

I'm not supposed to be in Liberia fighting Ebola. I'm supposed to be raising millions of dollars for my dream of building a boarding school that serves thousands of children. The dream includes a teacher-training component to help rebuild the education system for Liberia.

I will not accept putting the future of these children, the future of Liberia, on hold because of Ebola. It's not okay. This place has already been through way too much to put building education capacity on hold. Crises will keep devastating Liberia until something is done long-term. Liberia needs an educated population to work in healthcare, work in logistics, work in government, so that the next time Ebola or something like it comes to town, we’ll be ready.

Our girls can and will be the next leaders. When Liberian children are able to go back to school I want to go full force, more than ever, with the best education available. I need your support to make this possible.

For my birthday wish, help me build a boarding school for our girls. Support the future doctors and nurses; logistics officers; the future Minster of Education and Health and Social Welfare; the future ambulance drivers. The first steps are buying land and hiring a construction team, both of which can be done ASAP. We NEED your help!

Education in the time of Ebola is also a crisis. It’s ongoing, and it will take everything we have to fix it. She cannot wait for Ebola to end to build her dreams and neither will I.

This is your time to be awesome, to make history. Liberia is calling you; Patience, Bendu, and Massa are calling you,

Katie