While still in her mother’s womb, MacDella Cooper’s parent’s got divorced. Luckily for Cooper, her mother remarried a prestigious man who worked in the United Nations High commissioner for Refugee in Liberia. Through this incredible gentleman (stepfather), Cooper lived a good life growing up. Thus, like most upper class family, Cooper and her family lived in a six-bedroom house. They had a driver, and maids to take care of her and her siblings. Further, they went to the best private schools in the country.

Cooper’s house was very diverse because she had two stepbrothers and a stepsister who were born in the United States of America. As a result, her family had all the latest films and games from the Unites States. They were well informed about what was going on in the United States and around the world. In addition, during her parent’s regular visits to the United States, they would bring back the latest fashion and other items.
 

However, a tragic turn took place when Cooper’s step father was killed in a vicious civil war, which began in the early 1990’s. She was 13-years-old and life as she knew it, changed at that moment. Being only 13-years-old, Cooper witnessed the murder of innocent people by the fighters. “Liberians were killing Liberians,” she said.
 

Cooper and her siblings escaped the war and moved to the United States with nothing because they had lost everything to the war. In the U.S., they lived in the ghettos of Newark, New Jersey since they could not afford to live in a suited place. “Life was really tough living in Newark so I kept my mind focused on getting out.” She explained, “Somebody told me that if I worked hard in high school, it would help me receive a scholarship to college.”
 

She wanted nothing more from The U.S. than a college education. She knew for a fact that college was her only way out of the ghetto. Therefore, she put a great deal of effort into her studies and graduated high school with a grade point average of 3.6. Moreover, she got an academic scholarship to The College of New Jersey. She graduated in December of 2000. Consequently, she left the ghetto and never looked back. Instantaneously, she moved to New York City where she got a job with Ralph Lauren and also did some modeling on the side. Cooper said, “I loved working in the fashion industry and being in New York. My life became everything I ever dreamed about.  I traveled the world while I made some really great friends in high places. Life was good. More and more success came to me and it came very easily.”
 

With all of her success, she still felt a sense of emptiness—thus, she traveled more, did more shopping, partied more and so forth as a means of filling up her time. However, she asked, “What do you do when you have everything you never had before?”
 

In 2004, God opened her eyes to see the struggles that Liberia and its people were going through; this was when she knew she ought to help. She founded The MacDella Cooper Foundation— a nonprofit boarding school in Liberia for Orphans.
 

We sat down with Ms. Cooper to learn more about her background and the motive behind her foundation.
 

ATAC Magazine: How are you doing today Ms. Cooper?
 

Ms. Cooper: I am well. I thank God for privilege of good health and a sound mind.
 

ATAC Magazine: Walk us through the war—for instance, the things that were happening around you, the explosions, the dead bodies, and the refugee camps in Ivory Coast and escaping the civil war. For example, the time, the day, the year, etc.  
 

Ms. Cooper: Young women were raped because the fighters decided that, that was the way it was going to be. Young boys were drugged and forced to take up arm and kill their own families. My brothers refused to be a part of that; they simply said no. One soldier tried to take me as his wife and I also said no and told him that my mother said that I should not date until I was old enough. God was with us. I thank God for his protection. I am proud to say that I was spared from it all.
 

At night you could see the bullets flying like fireworks but not so coordinated and beautiful.  During the day, dead bodies were all over the place, leaving the dogs to eat them like vultures. The human flesh was their [vultures] only means of survival. The fighters had one thing on their mind and that was MURDER.  Death was in their eyes. A demonic spirit possessed them; so many innocent people were killed at their hands.  The war went on for so long, even the soldiers themselves forgot why they were fighting. Like everyone else, my brothers and I had to abandon our home to seek refuge. There were days when we did not have food to eat or clean water to drink.
 

The rebel fighters had come to Liberia through a North Eastern region called Nimba County.  They came into Liberia through the boarder of Guinea and the Ivory Coast. They had already captured the entire North and South Eastern region of Liberia. We thought it would make sense to stay behind the rebel lines because the fighting had subsided in the part of the country. So, we set out on a journey in that direction. We also hoped that our father was still alive and if he was, he would be behind the rebel lines. Everything that could have happened did happen on our journey. Thank God we were spared. We eventually ended up in Danane in August of 1990, at a refugee camp that was set up by the United Nation for Liberian Refugees coming across the Liberian boarders into the Ivory Coast.
 

The refugee camp was very small. There were a lot of sick people and one had to wait in line for everything. For example, one had to wait in line to use the bathroom, the phone, for food and so forth. We were very lucky because it turned out that my aunt was running the phone booth and [we] were able to contact my mother who was already in the U.S. Immediately, my mother made a way for us to move into my aunt’s apartment, which was right outside of the refugee camp.
 

ATAC Magazine: When did your charity start? What drove you into establishing a charity?
 

Ms. Cooper: In 2004, after praying and asking God for some direction, He opened my eyes to the struggle my native Liberia and its people were going through. I could not turn blind eyes to the problem. I saw images of the children; I hate[d] to see them suffering so I decided to do something to help. I researched Liberia and all I saw was darkness. Darkness was crippling the minds of my people. We were horrible to each other.  I cried in my apartment for days. I got on my knees and asked God to show me how to help my people. The vision came to me quickly. I called a few friends to help me. We started by collecting canned goods, clothing and personal care products and sent them to Liberia. I saw the amazing impact it had on the few individuals that received it.
 

ATAC Magazine: How many people worked for it and how many people are working for it now?
 

Ms. Cooper: The MCF Academy is a tuition-free boarding school for orphans and abandoned children in post-civil war Liberia. The Academy provides access to a better quality of living in an environment that is safe, secure and conducive for learning. The students at the MCF Academy receive three nourishing meals a day and also have access to quality education. Our teams of 20 international and local educators teach the children the importance of hard work, education, and good stewardship. We hope to raise future leaders who will take pride in their nation and not accept war as the solution to their country’s problems.
 

ATAC Magazine: Can you tell us about your faculty staff?
 

Ms. Cooper: The MacDella Cooper Foundation is a volunteer ran organization.  I have a very strict rule about this.  I have been running this foundation for 8 years on a volunteer pro-bono basis and still strongly believe that goodwill and charity exist. I know of too many charities that pay high dollars to their employees and give peanuts to the actual cause. Unlike the popular belief, no, my charity does not sustain my life style. In reality, it is quite the opposite. 
Therefore I expect everyone that comes on board to pretty much volunteer their time and services. Once in a while, we will bring in a contractor to fulfill a certain task.  The goal of the foundation is to spend the donations on the children and not on high salaries for employees. We never have a shortage of volunteers at our New York office. We do not expect the local folks in Liberia to work on a volunteer basis; that option just does not exist. We do not have any local volunteers.  The salaries for the local worker are very minimal. For the two positions at the school, I always bring in an individual from the U.S. to fill/cover. These are the Director of Finance and the Head Administration position.  
The work is not easy but we have a wonderful staff of 20 people. Our local team is committed to their job so is our international staff.  Once in a while, we mistakenly hire folks who come to our project thinking that this is going to be glamorous until they eventually realize it’s not. I have to admit that I am not an easy person to work for.  
 

ATAC Magazine: How is the boarding school run?
 

Ms. Cooper: The MCF Academy was built to serve as permanent home for children who did not have one.  The students come from orphanages or homes with zero income. We have made the school a tuition-free boarding school for the orphans and abandoned children so they do not have to worry about where their tuition money would come from. We treat them as if Christ was visiting us.
 

ATAC Magazine: Who has contributed to your charity?
Ms. Cooper: Unfortunately, as much as I would like to give credit to our incredible generous donors, I have to say that all of our resources come from God. It is by the grace of God that the MacDella Cooper Foundation has become what it is today. God has used a handful of friends to help us with funding. For example, the Segals, John and Patty Bottomley, Diane and Quintin Primo are on the list of friends who have financially helped us. 
 

ATAC Magazine: How many percentages of businesses and individuals contribute to it?
 

Ms. Cooper: I will say 80% individuals and 20 % business.
 

ATAC Magazine: Do you get funds from International cooperation’s?  
 

Ms. Cooper: International donors fund the MCF Foundation and Academy. I am not sure it’s possible to raise funds locally, as I had no luck doing so. I wouldn’t know where or who to begin with.  The local folks seem to be pre-occupied with their own needs.   
 

ATAC Magazine: When was the last time you visited the school in Liberia? 
 

Ms. Cooper: I visit Liberia as often as I can. I was there in January and plan to be there again in December for a few months. My only reason for being in Liberia is to be with the kids.
 

Thank you for giving ATAC Magazine this exclusive interview, we wish you all the best.
For more information on The MacDella Cooper Foundation, please visit http://www.macdellacooper.org/, www.mcfacdemy.org.