Embedded Files
Hon. Saran Kaba Jones
Founder/President & Board Member, FACE Africa | Assistant Minister/Chief of Staff, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Liberia
Hon. Saran Kaba Jones' story begins with exile. Born in Liberia, she left the country at age eight, just before civil war engulfed her homeland—spending her formative years in Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, and Cyprus before settling in the United States. When she returned to Liberia in 2008, nearly two decades later, she found a nation whose infrastructure had been devastated by fourteen years of conflict—and communities where safe drinking water remained out of reach.
She had initially planned to start an educational scholarship fund. But witnessing the water crisis firsthand changed everything.
In 2009, Hon. Saran founded FACE Africa, a community development organization strengthening water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and services in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on Liberia. Her first project, funded by a Davis Project for Peace grant, brought a water purification system to Barnesville capable of producing 20,000 litres of drinking water per day. From there, FACE Africa grew into a movement—completing dozens of WASH projects, including hand pumps, solar-powered water systems, household latrines, and hygiene education programs, and reaching hundreds of thousands of people with sustainable solutions.
What distinguishes FACE Africa is its sustainability model. Rather than building infrastructure and leaving, the organization trains community members to install, repair, and maintain their own water systems—transforming residents from passive recipients into active stewards. Women's leadership sits at the centre of this approach: FACE Africa ensures women are strongly represented across its WASH committees and staff. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the organization was also at the forefront of response efforts in Rivercess County, leading social mobilization and prevention campaigns.
Saran's leadership has drawn global recognition. She is a 2013 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a TED Fellow, a TIME Magazine Next Generation Leader, and a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. She has served as a Board Member of the UN Women Civil Society Advisory Group for West/Central Africa, was named one of Forbes' 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa, and was listed by The Guardian among Africa's Top 25 Women Achievers.
In 2024, President Joseph Boakai appointed her to Liberia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she serves as Assistant Minister and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Minister. That same year, she transitioned from CEO to the role of President at FACE Africa, where she remains deeply engaged as Founder, President, and Board Member — her global platform at the Foreign Ministry now helps raise even greater awareness of Liberia's water and sanitation needs, and of the case for investment in locally-led programs that put women at the centre of development. FACE Africa's day-to-day operations are today led by Executive Director Pauline Egan, carrying forward the seventeen-year legacy Hon. Saran founded.
In her own words: "I decided to focus on water because water is life and directly affects every area of development."
Hon. Saran Kaba Jones embodies the conviction that clean water is the first step to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty—and that Liberia's water future rests in the hands of its own people.
Sources: FACE Africa (faceafrica.org); World Economic Forum; Robert Bosch Academy; Founders Africa; The Benchmark
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse