MacDella Cooper

Life

MacDella “Mackie” Cooper – known to many as “Liberia’s Angel” – was born in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1977.

Raised in a family of comfortable means, Cooper’s life changed forever with the First Liberian Civil War in 1990. Among thousands who fled the conflict that killed more than 200,000 people, Cooper lived as a refugee in Côte d’Ivoire as a teen. In 1993, she and her two older brothers (Harry and Valentine) migrated to the United States to reunite with their mother in Newark, New Jersey.

At Barringer High School, Cooper ranked third in a class of 1,200 students. She was subsequently awarded a full academic scholarship to The College of New Jersey where she earned a degree in Electronic Communications.

A mother of three, Cooper divides her time between New York City and Liberia. She holds dual U.S.-Liberian citizenship.

Work

Fourteen years comprising two brutal civil wars in Liberia ended in 2003; during that time, hundreds of thousands of people were killed and more than one million were displaced. In 2004 – relinquishing a whirlwind, jet-setting career in modeling, fashion and event planning – Cooper resolved to aid the children of her native Liberia. She founded the MacDella Cooper Foundation (MCF), a nonprofit charity dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty by providing orphaned and abandoned children with an education and the basic necessities of healthy food, safe shelter, clothing and access to healthcare.

In 2010, Cooper launched the MCF Academy, a boarding school for orphans in Charlesville, Margibi County. Housing some 200 students on a secure campus comprising two 10,000-foot facilities, the Academy is Liberia’s first tuition-free boarding school. Its mission is to provide an improved quality of life for orphaned and abandoned children in a protected environment that’s also conducive to learning. Cooper hopes the Academy – and the MCF Agency for Youth Development she also founded – will foster future leaders who take pride in themselves and their country.

“Kids get clean drinking water and three meals a day consisting of healthy, locally-grown foods. It’s a place where children have their own beds, and access to healthcare and a quality education. It’s a place where they’re happy, and where they learn kindness and how to make wise decisions for their lives.”

In addition to her work as MCF founder and president, this Manhattanite is a charismatic inspirational speaker. By sharing her story of adversity, healing, transformation and service, Cooper’s well-received public appearances engage and challenge audiences to shift their priorities toward philanthropic impact.

Upcoming, drawing on her professional experience in the fashion industry as a model and marketer, Cooper’s L’Africana brand will launch in February 2016 at New York Fashion Week.

Previously, Cooper served as marketing and events coordinator for Jones Apparel Group where she helped develop comprehensive marketing strategies for the Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, Jones New York, Eredi Pisanò, Duca Sartoria fashion brands, among others. She also directed marketing and event planning initiatives for the New York Independent Film and Music Festival.

Affiliations & awards

Cooper holds several leadership, advisory and board positions in the United States and Liberia, including representation with these humanitarian organizations:

• African & American Women for Peace (AAW-Peace)
• American International School of Monrovia
• American Red Cross Tiffany Circle
• Liberian Community Association of New York
• Segal Family Foundation

Cooper has also received a number of awards, including:

• Global Ambassador for IMPACT Leadership 21 (2015)
• Humanitarian Service Award, Coalition of West African Countries affected by Ebola (COWACAE) (2015)
• Philanthropist of the Year Award, Young, Gifted & Black Entrepreneurial Awards (2015)
• Trokon Clay Humanitarian Award (2015)
• American Red Cross George W. Cutting Humanitarian Award (2012)
• Applause Africa Award (2011)
• Archbishop of Michael K. Francis Achievement Award (2011)
• Spirit of Friskies Award (2011)
• College of New Jersey Humanitarian Award (2010)
• Momentum Women’s Award (2007)
• Victor E. Ward Community Service Award (2007)

Impact
To date, MCF has transformed the lives of some 600 children from six different orphanages. “I’m driven by passion, but I’m also a realistic person. I can’t change the whole world, but I can help a few hundred kids. By educating and caring for as many Liberian children as I can, I know they’ll contribute to the future economic development of the country.”

In addition to bringing hope and a future to unwanted and orphaned children – especially girls –MCF is expanding its efforts to work with women across Liberia, including a market project. The foundation is also paving the way to help bring affordable solar energy to Africa.

“I took a wide look at the problems in Africa. I realized that empowering women to take care of themselves and their children is paramount. By opening more doors for women, they’ll begin to see themselves as leaders…not followers, or helpless bystanders. It’s all about teaching women and adolescent girls to engage in their communities more positively, and more powerfully.”