Thank You Craft Hope!

The LOEP Training Team sends our thanks and best wishes to the 100 caring, talented Craft Hope crafters - they sent more than 140 sets of Bean Bags for Liberian classrooms!

Thank you to Jade Sims, Craft Hope creator and Special Friend to LOEP!

Bean Bags ARE a Big Deal!

The Bean Bag project through Craft Hope has been a stunning success for LOEP. Exactly 100 wonderful crafters responded with beautifully hand made bean bag sets. Alphabet sets, number sets and shape sets will be packed up and sent in June along with other school and teachers supplies for LOEP partner schools in Liberia.

Most of us here in the U.S. are accustomed to school classrooms packed full of books, instructional tools, art and craft supplies, colorful bulletin boards and posters on the walls. Paper, pencils, crayons, and basic materials are always available and the supply of such items seems nearly endless - we take it for granted that there is always plenty of whatever is needed in the classroom.

Seeing pictures of Liberian schools was a bit of a shock for some who viewed the LOEP presentation last Sunday. After the presentation, one commenter said, "I can see why the bean bags are a big deal" for Liberian classrooms. The pictures of Liberia's bare, dim classrooms stood in stark contrast to the cheerful and colorful array of hand-crafted bean bags lined up in front of the room.

How the bean bags will be used in Liberian classrooms and what they bring to the teaching experience for teachers will be the subject of future blog posts. Now we have to begin packing to send them on their way by ship to West Africa. More pictures and posts to come!