Monrovia, Liberia – Five Liberian children are being adopted by U.S.A. based Liberian, Prince Aloysius Dennis, who is well known by the name, “Richman.”
The children, including four boys, one girl are: Elijah Kollie, age 1yr, Williams B.K. Sahr, 9yrs, Martha Kleme, 11yrs, Chris Zubah, 13yrs, and 18yrs old Oliver Norman.
Prince Aloysius Dennis is the Chief Executive Officer of the “Richcares Foundation,” a humanitarian Organization with chapters in the United States of America and the Republic of Liberia, which identifies with underprivileged children and the less fortunate, particularly orphans, disables, disadvantaged, through humanitarian assistance.
He boasts of being blessed by God and feels purified to share the blessings with people in his home country; adding that prior to his visit to Liberia in May 2023, he had earlier promised himself to adopt children in Liberia before returning to the United States of America.
“I’m blessed, am out here blessing people. I Love kids but am not blessed with a lot of kids, so adopting kids in Liberia, giving them a future is the best thing in my life; and as am here to see the trend in these kids lives and how they will come up to become successful.”
How he met the Children:’
Richman, as he’s often refers to, revealed that he randomly met the kids with some selling at about 6 and 8 O’clock A.M.on the streets of Monrovia, and reached out to their respective parents and expressed interest in adopting the children with the consent of the parents.
“With the other kids that are walking around the streets of Monrovia, and I see them doing things that a normal kid, where am from, cannot do; selling in the streets at 6’0 Clock in the morning, begging in the streets 8 0’clock in the morning. So some of them were just blessed that I randomly just met them and invited their parents over to my guest house, and I told them am gonna adopt your kids.
Like Chris, I saw Chris from up Hill, while he was selling by 6’0clock in the morning. Elijah, I met his Mom at the park, and she expressed the condition of her child. I met William Mom on my way from the Airport and she told me her story concerning her son and the struggle she going through. So Oliver I met on the internet stealing from people, scamming and doing all kinds of things, and then when I spoke with his Mom, she lives in a horrible condition so, all of them had a story. I had to take them, and see how best I can transform all of them,” Richman added.
Legality of adoption
Since meeting the children and their parents in May, Prince A. Dennis (Richman) is, at the moment, only providing basic human needs for the children who are still in the possession of their biological parents.
He disclosed that discussions are ongoing with his legal counselor, as well as arrangements of all relevant documents required by law, and the construction of a modern Home, before he finally seals the legal adoption of the kids.
“We have not reached the legal aspect of it yet, we are making arrangements for that. I have talked with my legal counselor on the situation; we are still in line with our counsel and getting all of the necessary documents before we can get to the parents for the legal process. But for now, that’s why they’re staying with their biological parents. The things we doing right now is providing feeding, clothing’s and some basic human needs until we can get the legal process done.”
He continues, “Before the legal process is done, we need to get a better living place for them because I can’t go sign a document and then in the end, the kids are still with the parents. So when we get the building erected, than we go to the legal aspect. Then if we sign the document today, it means tomorrow they’re all leaving their parents house and coming to my house, he concluded.
Olive Norman is son to Susanna Moore (Mother), William B.K. Sahr, son to Patience Smith (Mother), Chris Zubah, son to Lovette Zubah (Mother), while Sando Massaley is the Mother of Elijah Kollie and Catherine Lawrence, mother of Martha Kleme.
‘Excluding RichCares Foundation”
Despite his charity organization objectives of caring for underprivileged children, Richman distanced the Foundation from supporting the five kids being adopted by him, and stated, “for the charity, we will be generating funds from NGOs to support charity but for my kids, the support is from my own pocket. For all I do in America, their burdens are on my head so if am working hard, should go back and work harder to see how best these kids can live a better life. The charity will try to build an Orphanage but they’re not going to be in the orphanage.
The CEO of the RichCares Foundation assured that the children being adopted by him will be fully supported to achieve full potential in their future lives, adding that the kids already have a foster Mother known as Odell Bah, who is responsible to take proper care of them, as their Mothers would do.
‘Foster Mother Odell Bah’
Prince Aloysius Dennis (Richman) bestows confidence in Ms. Odell Bah, and introduces Odell to biological Parents of the children, as foster Mother to the kids being adopted in Liberia.
Odell, a Mother of two biological children, says during her days in High school, her ambition was to open an orphanage; because, she loves children and enjoys being around them.
“I feel very excited in doing this because am a Mother of two. I love children and am enjoying every bit of it. When I was growing up, when I was in school, my ambition was to open an orphanage home. So when I get to know Richman and he asked me to take care of the kids, it was just like what I was dreaming about has come to pass. So am putting in everything that I have to get this done because this is one of my dreams,” Odell stated.
When asked about how she’s managing with the kids? Odell explained, “I mange them by the grace of God. I check on them every day; I talked to them every day. I have made it my activity to talk to them every day. morning, evening and Night because, I feel they’re part of me right now so my duty is to make sure they are Okay,”
She showered praises on the biological Mothers of the kids for always willing to make the kids available whenever she (Odell) needs to gather them for a particular purpose, and promised to be in constant communication with the children’s parents even after the legal adoption process is done and signed in accordance with Law.
‘Adoption in Liberia’
In 2016, Liberia amended its Adoption regulation known as Regulations on the Adoption of Children in Liberia Domestic and Inter-Country, (https://orphanreliefandrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Amended-adoption-regulation-Liberia-2016.pdf) which purpose among other things, is to:
1. Establish safeguards to ensure that domestic and inter-country adoptions take place in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights as recognized in the 1986 Constitution of Liberia and international laws – the Rights of the Child (November 29, 1989) and the Hague Convention (May 29, 1993) harmonized;
Part-One, number 6 of the amended speaks about How to adopt a child in Liberia:
6. How to Adopt
1. A prospective adoptive parent(s) must file a petition to the Probate Court to express his or her desire to adopt an identified child, either personally or through an accredited adoption agency or a lawyer; 2. The Probate Court shall inform the appropriate authorities (The Domestic Regulations Laws Relating to Adoption 2013, 4.72: p11), i.e. the Ministries of Gender, Children & Social Protection, and Justice, about the petitioner being filed and then refer the petitioners to these Ministries to obtain comprehensive reports;
3. The Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection performs or designates an accredited social services/adoption agency to conduct a home study of the prospective adoptive parent(s) and a case history investigation of the prospective adoptee; 4. There is a non-refundable USD$1,500.00 Inter-Country and USD$250.00 Domestic Adoption Fees. This covers the Designated Ministry and the Adoption Authority processing operation and handling charges as well as travelling and other expenses incurred in conducting the Case History Investigation (The Domestic Regulations Laws Relating to Adoption 2013, 4.72: p.13); the funds will be deposited in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act of Liberia 2009;
5. These investigation processes include the following: • Auto-biography and family background; • Neighborhood, community, school and county of origin; • Physical and mental health evaluation; • Financial Statement; • Criminal clearances; • References; • Interviews with all relevant parties;
6. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection shall submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the Probate Court, and in the case where the court petition is approved, the court completes the adoption proceedings.
Reported by: By Augustine Bill Kollie
Contact: +23177359398
