Massaquoi

We are back to our clean selves after a much needed shower and air conditioned sleep. Tomorrow we head to LEP's school and are so excited to meet all the wonderful teachers. Just getting a chance to begin a relationship and learn about the community is a blessing! 

Before I finish this post I want to tell you a bit about Massaquoi Village Community School. They are a non-governmental school meaning that the government gives no funding and because they are in the bush, the nearest school is Ricks Institute (a VERY expensive private school) so most of their community children had never attended school. While a Christian school, their teachers have been volunteer for the past 5 years and their building is made of cane and tarps. Teachers have 100% daily attendance and Kathy and I gave them a small library when they attended our trainings last year. Out of the 7 schools we worked with they are the only school that have attended every training (even though they come the furthest and have very little) and that are actively using their library to teach. We saw that for ourselves this trip as we worked in their village. The need is high there but the motivation is just as high. I am including the picture of the school and also one of Kathy (left) and myself (right) serving lunch to the teachers and children who came to allow our teachers to practice their skills and receive feedback, all for $20 a day. Also important to note is that the first day the principal served (a woman!), the second day we served, and the third, the men served! While that sounds antiquated to think that the men wouldn't serve, Liberia (and Africa) is still learning about equal rights for women and men and thus, it is a huge deal not only to see, but for Lucia, the principal who was speechless. Truthfully, we all were as the pastor said, "We are all together in this, everyone is human, everyone must serve." it was truly a moment! So tomorrow we will leave for GhenWein and meet Enoch, Sarah (who we met when we went to see Green Pastures School) and Lydia. Such adventures are in store and we are both feeling that this trip is divinely inspired.

Getting Ready for the Small-Small Group Adventure

The last couple days we (Kathy and I) have spent working on our lessons and the handbook we will provide for the teachers. Also important is checking the fit of our African dress which was, well, too small. Luckily Kathy the tailor got mine on me and hers on her. Maybe Liberia will help us fit in our clothes better. The first place we will work is Massaquoi Village, a small community outside of Monrovia about an hour and a half. They have 7 teachers and a school with cane benches and a thatched roof. Ive been there before as the teachers came to our training last year. It took them about 2 hours to get to our training, that started at 8am, and no one missed. They are hungry to learn. We will work there first. Then we will take 2 days and visit friends and the other schools we worked with last year in Monrovia. After a couple days there, onward 12 hours to the north and a country school that is new to us. We will work there (Geinwen School) in Bong County for the next few days before coming back to the beach for a nice hotel stay for a night. I guarantee we will need it by then! So, that's the plan. It is rainy season there so the driving will be long, slow, and muddy but an adventure!

Liberia Bound and Determined

Kathy and I will be heading back to Liberia in one week. Although we have changed organizations, our focus is the same - to help Liberian teachers become better literacy teachers. We will be working at a school in Massaquoi Village. This school has a library with reading books for grades 1-5. We will be training the teachers in using small group instruction in their classes and how to use books to teach literacy. We will also be working at a school in Kokoyah in Bong County. Since they do not have any books, we will be bringing some books to them in order to give their teachers the same training. We have never been up to Bong County before so this will be a new adventure traveling into the interior of Liberia. If you would like to donate to our work, just go to (http://liberiaeducationproject.org/) and click the DONATE button on the right. It will take you to the home page of Liberia Education Project. All donations are tax deductible and if you say my name or Kathy's then it will go directly to our work with the Liberian schools. Please think about helping, especially those of you teachers out there!