School Rent Paid – and Even More Good News

What is considered a great year-end gift for our school, Help Liberia Foundation Community School, located in Buchanan City, has been received, as the school has just completed a five-year lease payment on the building we are operating the school in, instead of the originally expected three-year payment.

As most of you may already know, in September of 2012, the school was threatened with eviction if we didn’t pay for three years at the rate of $50 per month ($1,800 for the three years) by October 15.

Children and staff outside the school in September 2012

Frightened and worried by the news, an S-O-S call in the form of an article was done and placed on the site by Mary Smith of England. Quickly, Catherine Gill-Jamieson of Liberia and the UK, who is a true fighter for the kids and who was in Liberia when the threat was made, launched a vigorous fund-raising campaign to help the school and the children.

In less than two weeks, scores of individuals of good will donated and the amount needed was raised. For us, it was a miracle. When the landlords heard that we had the money, they couldn’t believe it. When it was time for us to pay, the family started having their own problem about who the administrator was and who the money should be paid to. We held our peace for them to settle their infighting, which they did this month.

But, as God would have it, the delay gave us a stronger bargaining power and opportunity. We requested that the amount per month be reduced, as we are a small school. They hauled and pulled here and there, but, at the end of the day, we won – and we won BIG TIME!

The rent per month was reduced to less than $30, and we use $1,700 to pay for five (5) years – from 1 January 2013 to 1 January 2018. Isn’t this a wonderful piece of news? Help Liberia Foundation Community School is entering the New Year with victory.

We wish to once again express our deepest appreciation to all of you who helped to raise this amount for the school. You have made us victorious and problem-free, in terms of worrying about rent payment for the next five years. As we indicated before, words are inadequate to really express how profoundly grateful we are for the humanitarian assistance you have rendered our school and the kids attending it.

Thanks for being there for us.

Please find attached the signed lease agreement (click the image to view full size).