News from Liberia
The Fruits of Our Labour
The Daniels-Adams School of Excellence (DASE) entered its third year in operations this past September with 149 students enrolled. The Topoe Town School has opened its doors for its second year of operations and has 136 students attending. We are happy to announce that both schools are now offering classes to Grade 10 students. This is no easy task in a country where qualified and capable high school teachers are scarce. We congratulate the AME Church on this accomplishment.
From all reports the kids are happy to be back in school and are becoming more comfortable utilizing their well-equipped libraries. Most schools in Liberia have just a handful of books so time spent in libraries is minimal. Although the students at DASE and Topoe Town are fortunate to have such great libraries we also think it’s their inner motivation to learn that keeps them reading.
Many of the staff has returned after the summer break and we feel this consistency is benefiting the students. Not only because they are good teachers but also because they are familiar with the children’s needs and understand who needs extra help.
UOF wrapped up its initial commitment to the school last April, which means Kent and Landis didn’t need to return to Liberia this past September as they usually do. “We miss Liberia, our friends in the Royesville community and especially the kids at the school, but we know it’s the right time to step back and give our partners some time to settle into the school,” said Kent and Landis when asked about returning to Liberia. They then added, “We’ll be back there again soon.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Remember that boat Emma Walker sent to Liberia? Well, here it is filled with a load of students on their way to school. It’s not being rowed the way we quite expected (the driver is at the front paddling it backwards) but it’s getting the job done.
Learning to Read at Any Age
Universal Outreach Foundation is sponsoring an adult literacy program that takes place after school hours at DASE. Fifty adults have enrolled and are now learning to read and write. The international organization Alfalit specializes in adult literacy and is providing the teacher training and curriculum for the program. UOF provides a stipend to the teachers and teaching materials. Not all parents in rural Liberia consider formal education an essential skill so it is our hope by increasing adult literacy we can help people understand the value of education for themselves and their children. This picture was taken after the teachers’ training program was conducted by Alfalit.
Community Partners
When community members from Bogbe (the village next to Royesville) came to us earlier this year with the idea of building a footbridge, we were concerned about starting a new project right before leaving. The people reassured us that the bridge would be completed within a few months after we left, so we held them to their word and proceeded. Our arrangement was that UOF provide the materials and the villagers the labour. We helped with a few planning and logistical issues before we left and true to their word the community finished the bridge. It’s a simple footbridge that crosses over a large body of water that collects in the rainy season. Children on their way to school and adults traveling between villages no longer have to wade through chest high water. We find these small projects that involve community participation incredibly rewarding. Thanks to funds raised through our “Child of the Community Sponsorship” these partnerships are possible.
The Tractor Has Arrived!
When Bishop Daniels first visited Vancouver in 2007, he and Kent Jr. made presentation to the Tsawwassen Rotary Club for a tractor to help develop the farm phase of the 275-acre Royesville School property. The tractor is now a reality and resides in Liberia. Thanks to the members of the Tsawwassen Rotary Club that made this possible, along with the students and shop teacher, Tallis Stevenson, at South Delta High School, that assembled a pile of tractor parts to make it ready for operation upon arrival. Thanks also to the Prince George Rotary Club for sponsoring the shipping container.
Transforming Lives
In our spring newsletter we mentioned that Charles Blamacee, a long-standing teacher in the Royesville community and at DASE, was hoping to go back to university. This summer he found out he was accepted into the teaching program with a year’s worth of credit. Once graduated, Mr. Charles hopes to use his new found talents at the Daniels Adams School of Excellence. We give thanks to our sponsors who made it possible for Mr. Charles, as well as other Liberian adults and children, to obtain a quality education.
Ultrasound Machine Donated to Liberia
Thanks to Ultrasonix Medical Corporation in Vancouver a new ultra sound machine has been shipped to Liberia. It is destined for the AME Medical Clinic adjacent to the AME University and will soon be used to help many Liberians.
Soccer Team Gives Liberia a Lift
To read about how a group of “rag tag” Liberian kids won the West African Soccer Championship click on the following link:
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/10/25/championship-soccer-team-brings-liberia-together
News from Honduras
On Oct. 13 I had a chance to spend a week in Honduras with my sister Kelly and my father. I have always found it to be a great experience to travel with my family and this trip exceeded my expectations. Our first night was spent at El Hogar. Landis and I had a chance to spend some time here about 7 years ago and as we drove in through the gate it felt like home. Aside from the beautiful new dorms for the boys and girls the school looked relatively the same. The staff at El Hogar is fantastic with the focus always being the boys and now the girls as well.
The next few days were spent exploring a potential house and school for the newly integrated female students at the school. The house is located on a beautiful piece of property with great views and clean air. At this point they are living at El Hogar but when they graduate from the elementary school they will need a new facility and school to carry on their studies. The school that Claudia (the director of El Hogar Elementary) is looking at is an excellent facility that will provide a very high quality education for the girls. Upon graduation from this school the girls will be able to write the SAT exam and have the possibility to enter into a US or Canadian university.
We also had a chance to visit El Hogar’s technical high school. This place is amazing! This was my first time there and I was blown away at how well built and vast it was. We had a chance to talk with Lazaro (the director of the technical school) and hear about great idea of creating a Tilapia pond on the property so they can start to raise money within Honduras for their programs. The property came with a man-made pond so he has started to convert it into the Tilapia pond. The technical school presently educates 89 boys with graduation happening in November.
After a great few days at El Hogar it was time to move on to the Copan region to see two other schools that UOF has been supporting over the past few years. Fellow Canadian and the Santa Rosa school founder Phil Davidson first took us to the Gracias Youth Training school in El Tablon. It was a very exciting tour through the facility that UOF, Rotary and the community had teamed up to build. The school provides sewing, woodwork and metalwork to the local kids and adults. We were greeted with great respect and shown through the facility by the local community members. This is a project that is being driven by the community and has success written all over it. Phil then took us to see his school in Santa Rosa and visit some of the communities that the graduating students have returned to. It was amazing to see their accomplishments. One graduate from the electrical department is now wiring and rewiring people’s houses and another former student is working in his dad’s woodwork shop. It all looks very promising for this project. Thanks to Bob and Brenda McGill and their family who helped us in the funding of our share of this project.
Our time in Honduras was short but filled with great memories and ideas for how to help in the future. We were so encouraged to see the directors of El Hogar looking at revenue generating ideas to help them become more self sustainable, the great support that Gracias Youth Training school is getting from both the community and the government and Phil’s school that is truly in a league of its own in Honduras. I give a thank you to all the donors that have helped to make this become a reality. You are transforming lives and allowing whole communities to take the next step up the ladder of life.
Thank you,
Kent Jr.
To learn more about us visit our web site at:
http://www.universaloutreachfoundation.org
Universal Outreach Foundation
#601, 2108 Argyle Ave, West Vancouver BC, V7V1A4
604-922-0495