History & Impact

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On April 4, 2003, Rosana Schaack and two other women founded THINK, Inc., a nonprofit organization that would focus on defending the rights and dignity of women and children affected by Liberia's 14-year civil war. Their mission was to provide protection, education, and self-sufficiency opportunities to help these individuals build resilient communities.

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In 2003, the three ladies began their work in a refugee camp at the national sports stadium, where an estimated 58,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were being sheltered. They offered play therapy, hot meals, and family tracing for 350 children, while identifying young women who had escaped militias or were forced into "war wives" roles.

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In October 2003, with funding from Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, they opened the THINK Rehabilitation Home for adolescent girls and young women affected by war. The home provided shelter, medical care, counseling, basic literacy using the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) curriculum, tailoring, catering, and cosmetology vocational training. Life skills programs covered reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness, conflict resolution, and parenting support. Each group of 25 girls and 10 children stayed for nine months, with efforts focused on family tracing and reintegration.​​

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Since 2004, the THINK Rehabilitation Home maintained a waiting list of 35-40 girls, as its success led to noticeable transformations in graduates, encouraging more girls to apply. Additionally, girls were referred from other organizations, such as the THINK Safe Home for sexual violence survivors and the Juvenile Transit Center, for long-term rehabilitation and reintegration.

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From 2005 to 2009, THINK ran two UNICEF-funded shelters with the Liberia National Police’s Women and Children Protection Section. One was a Safe House for girls aged 13-17 escaping rape, early marriage, and female genital cutting. The other was the Juvenile Transit Center for Girls, which also sheltered boys under five who had suffered sexual violence.

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​In August 2007, THINK took over the Clinical Management of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) from MSF/Spain, offering medical exams, HIV and pregnancy prophylaxis, counseling, and follow-up visits. The Duport Road SGBV Clinic handled around 40 new cases monthly. THINK, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Gender, trained health workers nationwide and educated community health volunteers on supporting and referring survivors. The UNFPA funded the clinic, training, and rape kits.

By 2012, THINK, in collaboration with relevant ministries and the UN Joint Programme on GBV, launched the first One Stop Centre for SGBV survivors. Vital Voices Global Partnership provided training and site visits for this concept in the USA and South Africa. The center also provided medical, psychosocial, legal, and protection services in one location, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency.

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Up to 2014, THINK had assisted 385 young women through its rehabilitation programs. Despite financial challenges that led to the closure of an expansion in Buchanan, the organization continued supporting survivors with startup toolkits, promoting financial independence through community banking and formal banking systems.

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To date, 1,275 children have benefited from the services provided at the Juvenile Transit/Safe Home Center.

THINK’s "Rewrite The Future" project, funded by Save the Children, supported 60 girl-mothers by enrolling them in school with uniforms and supplies and also supported Early Childhood Development Care Centers for 150 children in rural Montserrado County. The project worked with teachers, community leaders, and others to promote child protection and girls' education. Additionally, in collaboration with local communities, THINK ran a program providing life skills and sexual and reproductive health education for 500 adolescent girls, focusing on the prevention and response to sexual exploitation, HIV/AIDS, and gender-based violence.​