Upcoming trip

The team will be leaving the United States for Liberia, January 22 and returning around February 7th. The schedule is full of activities and everyone is looking forward to hitting the ground in Liberia and getting to work!
LEP is hosting the second teacher training session with a focus on early literacy skills, lesson planning, classroom management, and cultural literacy. The training manuals for the teachers are almost all printed and we are continuing to gather flashcards, magnetic letters, and trays.
While the teachers are in the training sessions, another part of the team will be working with the kids conducting a two day vacation bible school type day camp, mixing Bible teaching with fun activities that help teach object lessons.
This trip also entails the start of construction on the new school building. The villagers have been working on making the bricks and gathering some of the materials for the project.
Last year, the time spent in the village out in Bong County was such a blessing for all of the team members, that this year's team is very excited about being able to spend more time out there working and getting to know the villagers.
Please pray for the upcoming trip and if God leads you donations are still being accepted for the building project.

Liberia Education Project Bags

The Liberia Education Project would like to thank Mr. Dan Lukasavage and the Graphics Communications class for the terrific job they did on printing the bags for the teacher training.

Each teacher attending the training will receive a tote bag with the training manual, notebook, and pen. We are hoping also to place in each bag: a set of addition and subtraction flashcards, magnetic letters and board, and a word game.

Excitement is building as plans are being finalized for the upcoming trip to Liberia in January 2011. Volunteers in both the US and Liberia are hard at work getting things in order for a successful trip.

Please prayerfully consider donating to the building fund.

An update

The Liberia Education Project is gearing up for the next trip to Liberia. It is scheduled for departing the United States January 22 so preparations are under way! This trip will entail working on the groundbreaking and beginning to build the new school building, a second teacher training, and Bible camp for the children.

The benefit concert was a great success-almost $2000 was raised for the school building project! Many thanks to all who helped with the planning of this event and those who were able to attend and support LEP this way. It is exciting to see the fund raising thermomter on the site rising!

Free Concert

We hope you will be able to join us for this fun event!

Donations of school supplies have been coming in and are in the process of being sorted and packed to head to the Ghenwein Mission School in Bong County Liberia. Special thanks go out to the Somerton United Methodist Church for their generous donations to LEP.

The students and teachers began the new school year on September 6th . They are looking forward to the visit by the LEP team in late January.

Donations of school supplies are still greatly appreciated as well as donations to the building fund.

photos were taken by Florence Sweger, secretary of LEP Board of Directors

Back To School

School will soon be back in session at the Ghenwein Mission School in Bong County, Liberia!

The children will start back on September 6th. Currently there are are 5 teachers that will be working with the 150 students who are registered. There are more children who would like to attend, but right now due to space they aren't able to at this time.

Planning is in the beginning stages for a second trip to Liberia this winter to hopefully work on the building project as well as conduct a second teacher training.

We are still collecting school supplies if you would like to send a donation. Many stores are still having "back to school " sales so it is a great time to pick up a few extra items to donate to the children in Liberia.

Please pray for the children and teachers as they begin their year!

Enjoying time with some of the children of Bong County

When the team arrived in the village they were overwhelmed by the reception they received from the villagers. Children and adults were lined up singing, cheering, and welcoming the team. The teams' hearts were deeply touched touched by the outpouring of hospitality they received.While the teachers were in the training sessions, some of the team enjoyed leading the kids in Bible learning and games. This game gave a tangible lesson of trust as the blindfolded partner had to rely on their partner to help them navigate through a course through verbal instructions. The kids enjoyed both watching and participating in the game!

Taking a turn at trusting his partner to guide him through the course

Listening to instructions for the next activity

Getting ready to enjoy the new soccer ball

Something to Consider

Liberia is a country with a population of about 3,685,076.

44.3 % of Liberia's population is in the 0-14 years old age range. The literacy rate is about 57% (from CIA World Factbook).

Looking at those numbers it highlights how important it is to come alongside Liberian teachers and make a difference in the education of Liberia's youth-one of their greatest resources and their future.

Due to the devastating civil war many teachers are without any materials to teach the children. Basic materials like paper, pencils, and books. They are doing their best to give the students an education which shows their commitment and the value they place on education.

Just a reminder-let your loose change make a big difference and sign up for "Loose Change for Liberia"!

Let your small change have a big impact!

The Liberia Education Project is working with the residents of Bong County to build a school to serve the needs of several villages. The new school will be named “Ghenwein Mission School”.

Would you consider giving your loose change to help make a big change in the lives of the children and families in Bong County?

Here’s how you can help-place a jar on your counter with the Loose Change for Liberia label on it, each night empty the loose change from your pockets/purses into the jar, then once a month send your donation into the Liberia Education Project and watch how your loose change can help change lives in Liberia!

To get started please email Jacob Madehdou (jacob@liberiaeducationproject.org) to sign up and get your label.

A Snapshot of Teacher Training

While the children were enjoying their Bible camp, sixteen teachers from schools around Ghenwein were able to attend a two day training session. Naomi worked with the teachers in the areas of developmentally appropriate practices in elementary education and phonemic awareness.
The teachers enjoyed learning some new activities to do with their students. They were able to share with the team the lack of supplies they have in their schools and some of the other challenges they face as they work to educate the youth of Liberia. Many are teaching without the basics of books, paper, and writing utensils for the children. Plans were made for future training on topics the teachers felt would be most beneficial to them.
The Liberia Education Project collects school supplies to ship in containers to the teachers in Liberia. While you are shopping this summer and notice school supplies on sale, won't you consider purchasing some extra to send to the Liberia Education Project? Your generosity can make such a difference to a teacher and student in Liberia.

Kids Camp in Bong County

While Jacob and the team were in Liberia in March one of the things they were able to do was hold a 2-day VBS style kids camp!

The kids were able to attend the camp while their teachers were receiving training.

The camp consisted of Bible teaching and games. The material was put together and donated by Matt and Ragen Harman. Matt is a director of Student Ministries at the Montrose Evangelical Free Church. He was able to travel to Liberia on an earlier trip.

Over 380 children were able to attend the camp. They enjoyed trying out the different games, that along with just being fun, work on developing teamwork and communication skills.

The model of providing a Bible based camp for the kids while the teachers were getting training on different educational strategies worked very well; we plan to continue that for the next training session. If you would like information on how you might be able to be involved with the Liberia Education Project, please send us an email.

Amazon Wish List

One of the questions we seem to get a lot is “What do you need? We decided to make it easy and put a Wishlist on Amazon where you can see some of the things that we need. If you order off the Wishlist your order will automatically go to Somerton United Methodist Church where they will be put into containers to be shipped to Liberia. As always, we are eternally grateful for everyone who helps out! Without you this incredible mission to help improve the quality of education for children in Liberia would not be possible. Thank you!

Here is a link where you will find our Wishlist.

http://amzn.com/w/3OTUUNPIXMZUS

If you have any questions, send an email to info @ liberia education project (.) org

School Supplies

As the Liberia Education Project team begins planning for the next teacher training and kids camp, we are collecting donations of supplies. If you would like to help, donations may be sent to:

Liberia Education Project

13073 Busteton Ave

Philadelphia, PA 19116

Supplies Needed:

Crayons

Colored Pencils

Notebooks

Index Cards

Pencils

Dry Erase Markers

Maps

Globes

Games (Uno, Chinese Checkers, Chess, Scrabble, Marbles, Dominos)

Flashcards (ABC, addition, subtraction, multiplication)

Frisbees

Jump Ropes

Hula Hoops

Soccer gear (shin guards, goal nets, soccer balls, ball pumps)

Mosquito nets

nail clippers

toothbrushes and toothpaste

Volunteers: people with heart for children

If you would like more information on how you can volunteer, please contact us at

info@liberiaeducationproject.org

Coming soon: online Paypal donations button!

Celebrate Liberia Night

On Saturday, May 1, the Montrose Evangelical Free Church hosted a "Celebrate Liberia "night. Over the past year, 3 teams from the church have been able to travel to Liberia working on various projects. On the last trip this past March, the team was able to accompany Jacob out to Bong County and help him conduct the two day kid's camp and teacher training. We will be posting more pictures and stories from that trip in the future so please check back.

Saturday night was a time of sharing of pictures and stories by team members and a presentation by Jacob on the Liberia Education Project. The Project is beginning to raise funds to build the Ghenwein Mission School at the site in Kokoyah District, Bong County as well as to continue with the development of the agricultural component and teacher training. Jacob was able to share the vision for how churches, individuals, and organizations can come alongside and help support Liberia Education Project.

March 2010 - New Challenges and HIGH Expectations

Jacob arrived back in The States on Tuesday, March 16th. Dennis Fisher picked him up at Dulles International Airport for the 4 hour drive (through rush hour) back to Philadelphia.
Jacob was overjoyed to be back hone with his family! Much was accomplished during his six weeks in Liberia:
1. He assisted with Teacher Training for the Liberia Orphan Education Project
http://loeporphans.blogspot.com/ http://www.loeproject.org/
2. He worked with legal counsel and various govermental bodies to register Liberia Education Project as an official organization in Liberia
3. He conducted teacher training at the Ghenwein Mission School location
4. He presided over a Vacation Bible School-type camp for 100's of children - so many that a satellite location was setup.
5. He purchased brickmaking equipment and supported villagers to begin making bricks for the school construction.
6. He accepted the donation of up to 20 acres of land for the school and it's associated agricultural program.
7. He spoke to various local officials to get approvals for the communities' plans.
8. And much more.
Visit again as we will be posting new pictures very soon.

Teaching Materials

Some of Our Students

Jacob's Commissioning Service at Somerton UMC

Homes near Kpordyu Town

Report of Jacob Madehdou, from Liberia: Feb 28, 2010

Jacob and his team of 4 from the U.S. and 4 Liberians are running a camp for the school children as well as a teacher training. The village has never hosted foreigners. Pray for Jacob and the team to accomplish great things. They will be sleeping under the stars, using outdoor facilities and hoping to have consistent availability of a generator for electricity.

The camp was very well attended by over 200 children. We expected 100. Two sessions were held in order to manage the number of children. One group in Kpordyu Town and the other closer to the Ghenwein Mission School site. Fotball games were held for all children. The girls needed special tutoring in the art of soccer (fotball).

12 teachers were expected 16 showed up. Martha Khanga did a training for the mothers and promised to come back. Another helper, Andrew Tyler, stayed to assist Jacob and Martha to do teacher training. Jacob's sister and her daughter assisted with feeding the people and other accommodations. Donations of rice and live animals for a feast were welcome gifts. The camp will conclude with a special thanksgiving service on Sunday February 28th.

Instead of donating 5 acres of land for the school, the village elders are donating 20-25 acres. Another elder is loaning a five room home for an expansion of classrooms.

Future plans include receiving a certificate for the land and presenting that to the local
government officials before surveying the land and officially taking possession. Meanwhile the villagers will be clearing the land and making bricks. Jacob will be making a visit to Monrovia to meet with our legal counselor to complete registration with both the Education and Agricultural Ministries of Liberia.

Jacob will return to the Ghenwein school to discuss next steps and plans for the coming months before leaving on March 14th.

Please pray for the continued success of this trip. Jacob is very happy and satisfied.

Jacob in Liberia - 2010

Jacob arrived Friday February 5th. After unpacking at the Lot Carie Orphanage, near Monrovia, he was able to spend almost 24 hours with his mother in Monrovia. He was met at the airport by eight friends and family ready to take him directly to Ghenwein in Bong County. The group included Frederick, our agriculturalist; Sebastian, our director in Liberia; Hanna, Jacob's sister.
While Jacob spent the week helping train teachers at Lot Carie with the Liberia Orphan Education Project, Frederick and Sabastine began the process of registering LEP with the Liberian government. Jacob was also able to retain a counselor as well. And even though he was teaching all week at Lot Carie he was able to get away to Buchanon to make arrangements for a camp to be held for the children of the Kokoyah District in Ghenwein. When we spoke this morning he was off to Ghenwein, via Gbarnga to assure delivery of our brick molding machine and to secure the services of a surveyor. The people of this rural Kokoyah District are very excited. Never before have they entertained international visitors. They can expect 5 or 6 vistors from the United States in the coming weeks and work will be beginning shortly to survey,
clear the ground for laying a foundation and begin brick making.

More to come... Dennis Fisher

Liberia Education Project
2009 Year End Report


Liberia Education Project began during the Spring of 2008 as a result of a vision by Jacob G. Madehdou, a member of the Somerton United Methodist Church (SUMC), Philadelphia, PA and native of Liberia, West Africa. Our work during the 2008 calendar year resulted in our first shipment of supplies to Liberia in January, 2009. Donations in 2008 amounted to three barrels of donated school supplies and hygiene kits. Funds for shipping the barrels came from various sources both inside and outside SUMC. While visiting Liberia in the Winter of 2008-09 Jacob documented the need of these supplies with hundreds of photos.
Distribution of School Supplies - March 2009
During this trip Jacob also realized the need for schools and self-sustaining vocations throughout Liberia, especially in the rural areas. At a church dinner in March 2009 Jacob shared his stories and pictures of the adorable children we directly assisted. The church confirmed a proposal to form a Non-Profit Corporation to seek financial support from outside SUMC. In April and May 2009 the proper paperwork was submitted to state and federal agencies.

Meanwhile Jacob began networking with others who share our vision of educating children in Liberia. We have received financial and in-kind support from Western Pennsylvania, Virginia, Colorado and more. New inquiries come into the website almost everyday. We have involved architects, builders, educators and others. They have drawn plans, offered to assist on the ground in Liberia, donated educational supplies, and proposed infrastructure such as drilling a well and erecting a windmill.
Renovations of the Temporary School – April 2009
In the village of Ghenwein the residents have donated 5 acres of land for the construction of a school. Preparatory classes began in May 2009 in a renovated church building. Currently (Winter 2010) over 74 registered full time students from the Kokoyah District are attending classes taught by 3 teachers and one principal. Agriculturalists have developed a detailed plan for growing crops on the land, contributing to self-sufficiency.


To date we have raised the needed initial funds largely through our church membership. We have created a board of directors and we are sending Jacob back to Liberia in February 2010 to survey the property, register the plans with the Liberia government and purchase/transport a brick making machine to begin construction.
Jacob also plans to run a teacher training as well as a two day camp for the children. Financial support is urgently needed.


Liberia Education Project 2009 Year End Report – page 2

Little Hawah is our first LEP Scholarship recipient, October 2009
Your future help can assist us in these areas:
Pray for this project and the people of Liberia
You can organize a fundraiser. Share the project with your church, school, co-workers, friends, neighbors, social networking groups, students
Buy one room (20*20) for $1,000.00 or contribute $100.00 to support the cost of the water well and your name will be added to a thank you plaque over the room entrance or next to the water well. You can honor a friend or loved one with your donation in the person’s name
You may sponsor a student with a gift of $12.00 a month, or offer a gift of $50.00 to pay a teacher’s salary for a month
Collect stationeries and books for the school library from friends, churches, schools, book stores, etc.
Donate a bicycle or contribute to the purchase of a used pick-up truck.
Purchase tickets and attend the April 17th concert by the Bucks County Country Gentlemen. You can buy cement @ $15.00 a bag or donate $1, $5, $10 to the general fund. Your donation to the general fund is appreciated, regardless the size or amount. What you may think as “little” is a lot to others
Bicycles for teachers sent January 2010

Happy children playing football -
Help make school a reality for these children
Contact us: Website: http://www.liberiaeducationproject.org/
General email: info@liberiaeducationproject.org
Telephone: (215) 673-2745
Liberia Education Project, Inc.13073 Bustleton Ave.Philadelphia, PA 19116