LAP: Projects

While we encourage Liberian students to attend college in Liberia, we want to make it possible for an occasional, extremely outstanding student, to attend school in the U.S. or in an African country. We have awarded a four-year college scholarship to Abbas Sherif to attend the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Abbas, who graduated at the top of his high school class in Monrovia, is majoring in math and hopes to pursue graduate studies before returning to Liberia to contribute to the growth and development of his country. Tuition, books and living expenses are approximately $10,000 per year. Abbas has completed his second year of studies and has just begun his junior year this fall.

We support the government school where Judy taught. One of her former students is now the head of the parent-teacher group. The building that was brand new in the 1960s is still sound, but the school needs many materials and more desks and chairs. We have already provided a mimeograph machine, typewriter and books to the Tubman School. We hope to send more books and supplies to the school. We would also like to support tuition each year for the top 9th grader to attend high school in a nearby community.

We have contacted village leaders who have held town meetings to discuss their greatest needs at this time. They listed tools to cultivate the fields, seeds, small animals and medical care. We have already sent some tools and seeds. We will also provide chickens and goats to families, modeling the gifts on the work of Heifer International (Heifer does not have a program in Liberia). As families’ animals mature and breed, the families must, in turn, provide animals for other families in the village. For health care, we want to supply a medical box for the village and send one woman to nursing school so that she can provide minimal care in the village. We also want to help start a susu, a cooperative form of transportation for health care purposes.

Almost all schools, even government schools, charge tuition in Liberia. An elementary school student pays $75-$100 a year for tuition and fees, plus $15-$20 for school uniforms. We have volunteers already supporting six students and we welcome others in joining this effort. We recently received a grant from a Rotary club to fund scholarships for girl students, since they are less likely than boys to be sent to school by their families.

LAP has assisted one of Judy’s former students, Jessie Kekula, in building a new school in Cow Field, Liberia, which is located just outside of Monrovia. The new school is built of cement blocks and has seven classrooms, two offices, a septic system, bathrooms and a school well. The foundation and walls were completed in 2009; the roof, septic system, doors and windows in 2010; the floors, ceilings, desks and painting in 2011. Textbooks, as well as material for school uniforms, have also been purchased. Classes have just opened for the 2011 fall semester.

The name of the new school is the Barack Obama International Foundation School. The principal and parents chose the name partly because they began construction just as our new president was being inaugurated and partly because they, like most Africans, are excited about the election of an American president whose roots are, in part, from Africa.

We are now in the process of establishing scholarships for students who cannot afford to pay the small tuition and fees. We also plan to provide scholarships for the teachers to return to school themselves, and we hope to provide funds to purchase land for a soccer field.