LAP: Projects

LAP is assisting one of Judy’s former students, Jessie Kekula, in building a new school in Cow Field, Liberia, which is located just outside of Monrovia. Mr. Kekula has been the principal of the Child Welfare School in Cow Field for 12 years but during most of those years, the students had to meet in a building heavily damaged during the wars in Liberia. The new school is being built of cement-blocks and will have seven classrooms, an office and an auditorium. The foundation for the classrooms has been completed, the walls are up, and the roof and septic tank system were completed in the spring of 2010. The door frames and doors will be completed next and then the floors, ceilings, desks and painting will be done. We are hopeful the students can move in this fall. Much work remains after that -- the principal's office, the auditorium, as well as supplying textbooks, chalk boards and other materials. We also plan to set up scholarships for students who cannot afford to pay the small tuition required in all Liberian schools. The Child Welfare School committee reported that they chose the name for their new school: Barack Obama International Foundation School, 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.

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 recently 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.

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.

Because of the enormous destruction of many years of war in Liberia, many schools were destroyed. All schools, even government schools, charge tuition. An elementary school student pays approximately $75 a year for tuition and fees, plus $20-$30 for school uniforms. We have volunteers already supporting five students and we welcome others in joining this effort. While communication between the U.S. and Liberia is still very difficult, we will arrange for correspondence between you and the family of the child you support.