Community & Business
25 July, 2023
Giving hope to others wins Margot prestigious award
AN incredible effort to aid young women facing abuse in Africa has earned a determined local woman a prestigious Cairns Businesswomen's Club award.
Margot Biggs and her charity, Home of Hope Liberia, which was founded in May 2022, has become a beacon of hope for young women, particularly those enduring sexual abuse.
Margot's dedication and impact were celebrated as she received the prestigious Michelle Commins Legacy Award, which recognises women who have volunteered an immense amount of time to their not-for-profit charity.
Margot's journey began when she and her husband moved to Liberia for his work as a pilot.
While living there, she found herself volunteering at a local mission hospital, where she witnessed the horrifying struggles many women were enduring.
“In the last 12 months of my time in Liberia, I set up a women’s crisis shelter,” she said.
“The need in Liberia is unimaginable. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and there is no welfare system. I saw a need, gathered a team and we filled that need.
“We bring girls off the street and out of poverty. Many are pregnant and abandoned, or with babies already.
“Some come out of prostitution. Many arrive beaten and abused. Most of them have been raped at some point - 75 per cent of Liberian women have been raped.
“Some of them have already lost babies to starvation and disease. They arrive hungry, sick and depressed.”
Despite relocating back to Atherton, Margot continues to run the organisation remotely, passionately seeking donations to sustain the safety and support offered to these vulnerable women in Liberia.
“Home of Hope is making an immense difference to these young ladies. Some of them would not be alive today if it weren't for Home of Hope taking them in," Margot said.
To support House of Hope's vital mission, visit their website at homeofhopeliberia.com
