36-Year-Old Disabled Metalworker in River Gee Appeals for Support to Sustain His Livelihood

By: Ben T.C. Brooks | River Gee County Correspondent

River Gee County-Nov. 19, 2025-A 36-year-old physically challenged metalworker residing in Fish Town, River Gee County, is appealing to the public, the government, and humanitarian organizations for assistance to help him maintain his livelihood and improve his living conditions.

Sunday Bannie, widely known in his Tejaliken road Agriculture community for his craftsmanship, says he struggles daily due to the lack of a wheelchair an essential mobility aid that would allow him to move around with dignity.

Without it, he is often forced to crawl long distances along rough paths simply to reach neighbors, look for work, or buy basic necessities.

Bannie describes these daily movements as painful, exhausting, and degrading. He says the constant crawling leaves him vulnerable to injuries, infections, and social stigma.

Despite his physical challenges, Bannie is an accomplished metalworker specializing in the fabrication and repair of doors, pots, and other household and commercial items.

Metalwork, he says, is his only source of income and the main skill he relies on to support himself and his family.

However, his operations have come to a near standstill because he lacks a welding machine and other basic tools needed to do his work efficiently.

“I have the skill and the passion to work,” he told our reporter. “What I don’t have are the tools. If I can get a welding machine and a wheelchair to help me move around, I will be able to support myself, care for my family, and contribute more to my community.”

Bannie explained that his difficult situation is compounded by the heavy responsibilities he carries at home. His parents are elderly, and his father is completely blind, leaving much of the family’s survival on his shoulders.

He also spoke of supporting his younger brother, Jerry Bannie, who recently completed high school and sat the WASSCE exams.

“My parents are old, and my father cannot see. The hardship on me and my family is too much,” he said tearfully. “If the government or any humanitarian or philanthropic organization can come to my aid with a metalwork machine, I will be so happy.”

Bannie’s appeal underscores the broader challenges faced by many persons with disabilities in Liberia’s rural counties, limited access to mobility aids, scarce employment opportunities, and weak social support systems.

Local residents say stories like his are common in underserved areas, where people with disabilities often rely solely on community goodwill for survival but not with the case of Sunday Bannie.

Bannie is appealing to the government, civil society organizations, NGOs, and well-meaning Liberians to assist him with a wheelchair, a welding machine, and other basic equipment necessary to restart his metalwork business.

He says anyone who supports him would not only be providing tools but restoring hope, independence, and dignity.

“Please help me talk to people to come to my rescue,” he pleaded. “I just want the chance to work and take care of my family,” Sunday Bannie, tearfully concluded.