Today Liberians will enjoy another milestone on the path to lasting peace with the re-Inauguration of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for her second term. In spite of some disgruntled politicians and instigation of some who thrive on chaos in their quest for personal power, most Liberians refused to allow themselves to be drawn back into unrest and instability. Even some who wanted to see changes in the Executive Mansion stood firm for democracy when the election was finalized and President Johnson-Sirleaf declared the winner.
Congratulations to all our Liberian colleagues! Lasting peace is the real "Peace Prize" and you are nearly there!
RIGHT9
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Another busy day for LOEP
What a fantastic day! We had a wonderful day today in Monrovia and Paynesville. The day started off with a meeting with our dear friend Archel Bernard at her office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archel is doing a great job in her position with the Philanthropy Secretariat. Her office works with different NGOs and projects in Liberia - connecting funders with projects. From her office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we went down the road to the Hope for the Deaf School in Sinkor.
Hope for the Deaf is one of my absolute favorite places in Liberia. The school is housed on the Methodist Compound in Monrovia. There is a great video package on our website (www.loeproject.org) that our friend and video journalist Derick Snyder put together. The school includes grades Kindergarten through 9 with a vocational training program. The students are learning shoe making and tailoring. The tailoring component is new since our last visit. It was so wonderful to see the students again this year, working hard in their classes. They greeted us very warmly, signing excitedly. They were especially pleased that I could spell my name for them using ASL, and was eager to learn to spell (sign) each of their names.
After we left the Hope School, we continued down Tubman Boulevard to Paynesville, a suburb of Monrovia, to visit our friends at CRM. Children's Relief Ministry Orphanage was one of LOEP's first partners, one of our original partner schools. Things are progressing at CRM, the current project underway is a security wall around the property. The children and Matron greeted us very warmly and gave us a tour of the facility. We were particularly pleased to see the new tiled bathrooms at the orphanage, and renovated latrines. Some of the children we met during our first visit four years ago are still, and it is wonderful to see them as healthy teens and tweens now.
Our day continued as we visited the New Life School (previously called Christ Redeemer School). LOEP was introduced to the New Life School through on of our ToTs, Mr. Emmanuel Gbah. Mr. Gbah teaches adult literacy at the school, and is a member of the supporting church. Please read our previous blog entry dated April 6, 2011 for more information about this remarkable community school and the dedicated educators working there.
I would love to share more about each of these stops, but it has been an awfully long day, and I am pretty exhausted (mentallyy and physically). Will try to post pics tomorrow!
Hope for the Deaf is one of my absolute favorite places in Liberia. The school is housed on the Methodist Compound in Monrovia. There is a great video package on our website (www.loeproject.org) that our friend and video journalist Derick Snyder put together. The school includes grades Kindergarten through 9 with a vocational training program. The students are learning shoe making and tailoring. The tailoring component is new since our last visit. It was so wonderful to see the students again this year, working hard in their classes. They greeted us very warmly, signing excitedly. They were especially pleased that I could spell my name for them using ASL, and was eager to learn to spell (sign) each of their names.
After we left the Hope School, we continued down Tubman Boulevard to Paynesville, a suburb of Monrovia, to visit our friends at CRM. Children's Relief Ministry Orphanage was one of LOEP's first partners, one of our original partner schools. Things are progressing at CRM, the current project underway is a security wall around the property. The children and Matron greeted us very warmly and gave us a tour of the facility. We were particularly pleased to see the new tiled bathrooms at the orphanage, and renovated latrines. Some of the children we met during our first visit four years ago are still, and it is wonderful to see them as healthy teens and tweens now.
Our day continued as we visited the New Life School (previously called Christ Redeemer School). LOEP was introduced to the New Life School through on of our ToTs, Mr. Emmanuel Gbah. Mr. Gbah teaches adult literacy at the school, and is a member of the supporting church. Please read our previous blog entry dated April 6, 2011 for more information about this remarkable community school and the dedicated educators working there.
I would love to share more about each of these stops, but it has been an awfully long day, and I am pretty exhausted (mentallyy and physically). Will try to post pics tomorrow!
Pictures!
We seem to have a good (everything is relative) internet connection at the moment, so I'm going to try and post some pictures. Random pictures posted quickly before I head off to a meeting - just a sampling for you all to see some of the sights we have been enjoying!
Nursery students at AAMOM school are practicing their ABCs in the brand new school that opened this year.
The ToTs (Trainers of Teachers) worked very hard preparing for the first Teacher Training Network Conference. They did a fantastic job preparing and presenting. We are so proud!
Nursery students at AAMOM school are practicing their ABCs in the brand new school that opened this year.
The ToTs (Trainers of Teachers) worked very hard preparing for the first Teacher Training Network Conference. They did a fantastic job preparing and presenting. We are so proud!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Pomp and Circumstance
Today was graduation day at Lott Carey. Yes, in December. No, not students. It was the teachers who were graduating today, and the LOEP team was beyond thrilled to not only be present for the ceremony, but also be a part of this extremely joyous occasion.
The teachers graduating today received their "C" certificate in teaching from the Liberian Cooperative Standard Education School System (LICOSESS). The 28 graduates are teachers from schools in Brewerville, Royesville, and Sinkor; 14 of the graduates are teachers at Lott Carey Baptist Mission School. The LICOSESS certificate program is a strenuous 14-month program, where teachers (students in this case) attend classes every evening and all day Saturday. These hard-working individuals were attending classes and working on their own studies while maintaining full-time teaching jobs, sometimes extra jobs, taking care of their families, church, and other community obligations. The amount of dedication that the teachers have is beyond admirable - it is amazing!
We were so proud to see all of these dedicated educators graduate, most especially our friends from Lott Carey. Teachers we have had the pleasure of working with in LOEP training workshops for the past three years as we have seen them progress.
The formal ceremony was very touching - made even better by the fact that the students at Lott Carey were present to see their very own teachers graduate! (I think the highlight for them may have been seeing their teachers process in cap and gown, judging by the giggles and cheers.) The Master of Ceremonies was Mrs. Rosa Allen, VP of Instruction at Lott Carey School. The Commencement Address was given by our very own Beth Iden. (If I wasn't bursting with pride for the graduates, I sure was bursting with pride for my own Ma Beth!) The address, themed to "build a community of learners", was extremely well-received by both graduates and students. While Mom addressed the graduates, I had the pleasure of handing each of them their certificates as they crossed the stage. What a thrill to see their proud and smiling faces at that special milestone!
Following the ceremony, the graduates, guests, administration and students filed outside of the chapel for pictures and pinning of candy. (Pinning candy and other treats such as flowers is a way of recognizing special people on special days such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation day.)
A special day in a beautiful country, and what an honor to be a part of it!
The internet connection is too slow for pictures tonight, but I will try to upload some pictures of the graduates and ceremony tomorrow for all to enjoy!
The teachers graduating today received their "C" certificate in teaching from the Liberian Cooperative Standard Education School System (LICOSESS). The 28 graduates are teachers from schools in Brewerville, Royesville, and Sinkor; 14 of the graduates are teachers at Lott Carey Baptist Mission School. The LICOSESS certificate program is a strenuous 14-month program, where teachers (students in this case) attend classes every evening and all day Saturday. These hard-working individuals were attending classes and working on their own studies while maintaining full-time teaching jobs, sometimes extra jobs, taking care of their families, church, and other community obligations. The amount of dedication that the teachers have is beyond admirable - it is amazing!
We were so proud to see all of these dedicated educators graduate, most especially our friends from Lott Carey. Teachers we have had the pleasure of working with in LOEP training workshops for the past three years as we have seen them progress.
The formal ceremony was very touching - made even better by the fact that the students at Lott Carey were present to see their very own teachers graduate! (I think the highlight for them may have been seeing their teachers process in cap and gown, judging by the giggles and cheers.) The Master of Ceremonies was Mrs. Rosa Allen, VP of Instruction at Lott Carey School. The Commencement Address was given by our very own Beth Iden. (If I wasn't bursting with pride for the graduates, I sure was bursting with pride for my own Ma Beth!) The address, themed to "build a community of learners", was extremely well-received by both graduates and students. While Mom addressed the graduates, I had the pleasure of handing each of them their certificates as they crossed the stage. What a thrill to see their proud and smiling faces at that special milestone!
Following the ceremony, the graduates, guests, administration and students filed outside of the chapel for pictures and pinning of candy. (Pinning candy and other treats such as flowers is a way of recognizing special people on special days such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation day.)
A special day in a beautiful country, and what an honor to be a part of it!
The internet connection is too slow for pictures tonight, but I will try to upload some pictures of the graduates and ceremony tomorrow for all to enjoy!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The First Teacher Network Conference
The first kick-off event of the Building a Community of Learners Teacher Training Network takes place next Wednesday. Sixty teachers from ten mission schools will meet at Lott Carey for the one day conference to take part in the event that will feature training and professional networking opportunities. Two workshop sessions on education issues, large group sessions with guest speakers from Monrovia, and a luncheon are planned for the first conference of the newly forming network. The network is open to teachers from the Lower Virginia area of Liberia who partner with LOEP and Liberia NOW (a Texas-based organization that establishes school libraries and trains librarians in Lower Virginia, Liberia).
Liberia NOW and LOEP stand ready to assist our partners in Liberia as they begin working together to build the new network and develop their own opportunities for professional development!
Watch this space for more on the fledgling Network! Also coming are more pictures and some more very exciting reports on teacher training in Liberia! Watch for it - we have a VERY busy week ahead!!
Monday, October 17, 2011
They Need a Bigger Boat!
From the beginning of our teacher training efforts, it was always the main goal of LOEP to assist our colleagues in developing their own professional development program. We believe in the old adage, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime". We all recognized the value of helping to build a program that Liberian teachers could sustain on their own, conducting their own workshops, their own trainings and sharing their new methods and techniques with other teachers in Liberia. Recent reports from Liberia show how far we have all come to reaching that goal.
Mr. Gbah's Report:
Emmanuel Gbah is a full-time teacher at CRM orphan school where he teachers fifth grade. He is the married father of three girls who attend school (in a nation where less than half of all girls attend school), he is a deacon in his church, a full-time student at the University of Liberia and three nights a week he teachers adult literacy in a little school operated by his church. He also mentors untrained, unpaid teachers in that same school, helping them develop classroom skills and techniques he has learned in the LOEP workshops. Recently Mr. Gbah made the arduous journey to his rural home village for a rare visit with his family. Such visits are far and few between for Liberians and it had been years since Mr. Gbah had seen his "little brothers". The visit was a joyous occasion and a time for him to share with his family details of his life in the city of Monrovia. He happily reports, "God could have it for me I was able to travel with some of my teaching materials" from LOEP workshops in the LOEP "teacher bag". When he arrived in the village word of his visit and his life as a teacher in Monrovia spread. He was asked to conduct a teacher training for teachers in the village school. As he recounts, " this was a huge challenge for me ... because I was alone without consultant,but I accepted the challenge," and his detailed report on the workshop content is a most touching account of his experience. Despite his reservations and initial lack of confidence, he conducted a successful training and highlighted the most important concepts of, a) inclusiveness, b)effective teaching methods to replace harsh beatings and discipline, and c) helping children understand and process the information they are taught. He wrote, “I firmly believe that the act of conducting the workshop was buttressing the dream of LOEP….by the help of God I was able to conduct the workshop ... and it was appreciated by the school administration. I ... extend my thanks and appreciation to the LOEP team for their level of cooperation and for the knowledge that they continue to impact onto us teachers of Liberia".
Mr. Gbah's reference to the LOEP "team" includes all of those friends here in the US who support LOEP's teacher training and shipments of instructional materials, books and school supplies. Mr. Gbah and his colleagues who have taken LOEP workshops know that there are hundreds of people here in the US they have never met who make the LOEP workshops possible.
One by one our Liberian colleagues are "learning to fish" - they are going to need a bigger boat. Please continue supporting LOEP teachers reaching their goals!
Mr. Gbah's Report:
Emmanuel Gbah is a full-time teacher at CRM orphan school where he teachers fifth grade. He is the married father of three girls who attend school (in a nation where less than half of all girls attend school), he is a deacon in his church, a full-time student at the University of Liberia and three nights a week he teachers adult literacy in a little school operated by his church. He also mentors untrained, unpaid teachers in that same school, helping them develop classroom skills and techniques he has learned in the LOEP workshops. Recently Mr. Gbah made the arduous journey to his rural home village for a rare visit with his family. Such visits are far and few between for Liberians and it had been years since Mr. Gbah had seen his "little brothers". The visit was a joyous occasion and a time for him to share with his family details of his life in the city of Monrovia. He happily reports, "God could have it for me I was able to travel with some of my teaching materials" from LOEP workshops in the LOEP "teacher bag". When he arrived in the village word of his visit and his life as a teacher in Monrovia spread. He was asked to conduct a teacher training for teachers in the village school. As he recounts, " this was a huge challenge for me ... because I was alone without consultant,but I accepted the challenge," and his detailed report on the workshop content is a most touching account of his experience. Despite his reservations and initial lack of confidence, he conducted a successful training and highlighted the most important concepts of, a) inclusiveness, b)effective teaching methods to replace harsh beatings and discipline, and c) helping children understand and process the information they are taught. He wrote, “I firmly believe that the act of conducting the workshop was buttressing the dream of LOEP….by the help of God I was able to conduct the workshop ... and it was appreciated by the school administration. I ... extend my thanks and appreciation to the LOEP team for their level of cooperation and for the knowledge that they continue to impact onto us teachers of Liberia".
Mr. Gbah's reference to the LOEP "team" includes all of those friends here in the US who support LOEP's teacher training and shipments of instructional materials, books and school supplies. Mr. Gbah and his colleagues who have taken LOEP workshops know that there are hundreds of people here in the US they have never met who make the LOEP workshops possible.
One by one our Liberian colleagues are "learning to fish" - they are going to need a bigger boat. Please continue supporting LOEP teachers reaching their goals!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Waiting and Praying
Although current President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's star status in the international community was confirmed with award of a Nobel Peace Prize last week, it is not clear that she is popular enough at home to receive 50% of the popular vote to avoid a run-off. Presidential candidates must receive 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off in November following the October election.
Since the war ended in Liberia, women have emerged as a powerful influence in political life. While many accept the new dynamic as part of Liberia's healthy growth into a successful, democratic nation, there is still resistance to the modern roles.
We are praying and hoping for a successful transition. Whether it is a second administration for President Ellen or, as is always possible in a Democracy, a new administration with new leadership - Liberia has come too far to turn back now!
For more election news and pictures go here: http://unmil.org/
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