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HCA PROJECTS OF HOPE

Primary classroom in rural Liberia

Many children in Africa will never get the chance to go to school and learn to read or write.  In many areas, most formal structures for education have been broken down by civil war and years of conflict. 

 

HCA provides Education Projects of Hope, to help increase access to learning and enhance the lives of thousands of children.  Projects are initiated in response to local community input and needs, and supported long-term by the community.

 

 The current 2010 project in rural Liberia will extend the success of earlier projects aimed at improving literacy through advanced teacher training, addition of a new library, and the delivery of books and supplies.  WIth outside donor funds, HCA plans to provide selected student scholarships for higher education.  

 

HISTORY

When volunteers from HCA visited rural Liberia in early 2007, they learned that three-fourths of the schools in the country had been destroyed or damaged.  In most rural communities, students are observed sitting on dirt floors in crumbling buildings, without textbooks or supplies, taught by novice teachers with only a few months of training.  In dire cases, smaller students are taught by older students.  Communities have no money for tuition to purchase supplies and pay teacher salaries. Without aid, students will not have opportunities to learn even basic literacy skills.    

 

In contrast, the team noticed that where there was outside assistance, such as a church-ministry supported private school, they were far better equipped with infrastructure, textbook resources, and trained teachers. As a result of this aid, they are able to provide more effective education to students.

 

After the initial assessment, a follow up visit by HCA co-founder Nancy Wood and volunteers in late 2007 validated the need and the location for a literacy pilot program at a rural school in Bong County, Liberia.      

 

 

HCA's 2008 Education Project of Hope helped improve learning opportunities for students and adults in a rural part of Liberia, West Africa. The government is unable to provide the interior of Liberia with drastically needed educational support. Currently many families must leave the comfort of their village and go to the capital city of Monrovia to get a better quality education.

 

To address this situation, HCA chose the village of Samay in the interior of Liberia for the first pilot Education Project.  The community represents strong regional leadership and has demonstrated a deep commitment towards education by independently rebuilding their public primary school with local volunteers. The Education Project is conducted in partnership with the school community.

 

The first pilot Education Project consisted of:

 

A 3-day teacher workshop to deliver much-needed training for teachers from 15 schools in the county, along with textbooks and supplies for each of their schools.

A Library/Community Learning Center to provide learning materials for students to supplement the curriculum, advancing adult literacy and offering enrichment for community residents. Equipped with 2,500 donated books, Samay's primary school is the site for the new Library, a first in the region.

A full time project leader with training in teaching literacy,  available for citizens and teachers of Samay through the Library/CLC.

 

A unique tile wall mural at the Library/Learning Center helped raise funds to support the project. Click here to find out how you can donate or sponsor a tile with the name of the donor-recipient. 

 

Samay's community serves as an example and inspiration for similar projects planned for neighboring communities.   

 

 

 Although there is a long list of needs, a top priority is the development of a trained teaching staff along with textbooks and supplies which support the curriculum.

 

 

HCA's  Progress in Liberia

      Winter, 2007:  HCA assessment team visits Liberia to evaluate education needs.

      Winter, 2007:  HCA establishes a local non-governmental aid agency, Hope for Orphans of Africa. 

      Winter, 2007:  Pilot project location chosen; teacher training workshops scheduled.

      Winter, 2007:  HCA's shipment arrives in Liberia -- 6,000 textbooks, educational supplies and computers.

    Fall, 2007:  Visit to Liberia by HCA co-founder to establish partnerships and identify specific community issues. 

    Fall, 2007:  Visit to pilot school by HCA volunteers and founder to implement Education Project in Samay for 2008.

    Winter, 2008:  Textbooks and supplies distributed to schools and teaching staff.

    Winter, 2008:  Regional 3-day Teacher Training Workshop.

    Winter, 2008:  Construction of Library/Community Learning Center.

    Spring and Summer, 2009:  Assessment and support follow up for teachers and new instructional methods.  

    Fall, 2009:  Opening of first public library in rural Liberia announced.  Library resources used immediately to improve instruction and learning.

    Jan-Mar, 2010  HCA co-founder conducts on-site visits and confirms project successes.

     Spring, 2010:  $25,000 grant awarded to HCA to expand literacy projects.

 
James Kumahn in his home village of Samay, Liberia