Lexington woman collecting donations for school in Liberia

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A Lexington woman is heading to Africa after collecting school supplies from the central Kentucky community over the past five months and its all going to students in Liberia.

Bobbie Mobley is packing up and ready to visit Liberia for a third time on Thursday.

She will be carrying suitcases full of school supplies and food for students at a school in Monrovia, the capital city.

She has already shipped over six wardrobe-sized boxes to the students.

Mobley’s first visit to Liberia was for a wedding. She fell in love with the country went back a second time and saw a school in need.

“Just seeing the children sitting in classrooms with no books no pencils,” she said.

On that visit, she had supplies in hand.

The first time Mobley visited the school, the principal was so impressed by the supplies she brought they wanted to name the school after her instead Mobley decided to name the school in honor of her mother. It isnow called the Nancye T. Mobley International Academy.

Mobley says sometimes Americans overlook the simple things like having access to pencils and paper.

“It’s humbling because of the things we take for granted and to see the joy on their face to just have a book,” Mobley said.

In the video above, WKYT’s Darnell Crenshaw shares Mobley’s motivation to help children thousands of miles away from Lexington.

Mobley plans to start collecting more school supplies in January. You can find ways to help her foundation on the school’s Facebook page.