Morris Darbo is the founder and director of the Joan C Orr Academy. Morris is a teacher and social worker by training and has run many educational intiatives in Liberia. He and his team have educated many thousands of children about humane treatment of animals and care for the environment. Morris believes that a change in the culture of the country away from abusive treatment of animals and people, towards humane treatment (particularly for women and children) will come only through the education of children first. He has proven his organizational and management skills through the Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society. This organization has grown to include many volunteers and paid staff who adminster and deliver its many programs. These include Animal Kindness Clubs in schools, free veterinary and rabies clinics in Liberia and now in neigboring countries as well, training of veterinary workers at the university level, community garden and vegan food programs, protection of wild parrots, anti-dog eating and anti-bush meat campaigns, education of children in Guinea about care of working animals and veterinary clinics in Guinea to relieve the suffering of working animals.

The Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society is a partner of Animal Kind International. Read this first hand account from Karen Menczer about her in-person visits to Liberia to meet Morris and see LAWCS programs in action.

When the Ebola crisis hit Liberia with devastating effects on the adult population, Morris rose to the challenge and his teams began going to underserved communities in deplorable conditions to bring bleach, soap, buckets and education on hygiene to prevent the further spread of this deadly disease. Morris partnered with A Well Fed World to provide emergency food and to promote community food gardening to help feed starving people during the Ebola Crisis.

Morris is well respected in the international human education community and he and his team have won several awards. Morris has been invited to speak at international conferences and his influence has spread beyond the borders of Lberia.

From 2019-2022 Morris acted as the Project Manager Liberia for VETS UNITED where he was responsible for the programming, monitoring and financial oversight of a project with the goals that animal health and welfare programme will be taught in every institution in the country doing animal related programmes. Secondly, animal health and welfare programme will be prioritized in the country so that every section of the country will have trained and practicing animal health and welfare personnel.

As a result of his standing in the community and his skills as an educator, organizer and administator, Morris was asked to join Humane Society International as its Country Director, Liberia. In this role, Morris led HSI’s program development and its efforts to improve animal welfare in Liberia by establishing relationships with high-level stakeholders in the country. Morris held this position from 2017-2022 when HSI closed the Liberia main office. He is a member of the Rabies Technical Working Group of Liberia, as well as the Species Working Group. He also serves as an animal welfare focal point at the World Organisation for Animal Health for Liberia.

Morris is an exemplary role model and his contribution to improve the welfare of women, children and animals is exceptional. His dream for the Joan C Orr Academy is that it will give kids the best possible education, that it will take kids all the way through highschool and that it will be able to offer adult eduction in the evenings for adult women so that they too can rise out of poverty.