Help Liberia Foundation Community School

We are happy to announce that you can donate to the school using PayPal.

As PayPal cannot be linked to a Liberian bank account, donations will go to Lena and Anders Marner in Sweden, who will arrange for the money to be transferred to the school’s account.

Lena and Anders with Rita Bryant, one of their sponsored children

Lena, who spent part of her childhood in Buchanan, and Anders visited the school twice last year, and have formed a lasting connection with the children and staff.

They also run Pepper Adventure, a travel company which arranges guided trips to Liberia. The trip can include a visit to the school.

We are very grateful to them for supporting us!

As you may be aware, we have not posted any new articles since December; however, a lot of things have been happening at Help Liberia Foundation Community School since the last article. And we are pleased to share a few of the happenings with you at this point.

Kids saluting the Liberian Flag at school

1.  We closed on December 20, 2013, for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday, and re-opened on January 6, giving students, staff and faculty the opportunity to interact for the first time in the New Year. In other words, January 6 was the day on which classes resumed after the holiday.

Students taking test

2.  We administered the school’s First Semester Exam at the end of January. The end of the exams marked the end of the first semester.

Students taking test

3. We closed the school for one week (First Semester Break) and re-opened on February 10. It was the start of the second semester, which will end at the end of June. The graduation and closing program will be held on July 6.

Principal Gibson (sitting) and Vice Principal Krangar (standing) posing in the office

4. The fourth period test will start on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. It will end on Friday, March 28.

Female parents and guardians with Paul

5. A series of Parent-Teacher Association (P-T.A) meetings have been held since December. In fact, at one of the meetings, the parents appointed a new P-T.A leadership. The chairman is Mr. Roosevelt Karyeah, the Vice Chairman is Mr. John Zoegar, and the Secretary is Philemena Aggrey, a teacher at our school.

Female teacher Philemina teaching in class

6.  The World Food Program (WFP) has re-started donating food ration to our school. They donated the first ration in February, and it included bulgur wheat, beans and oil. There are plans for them to donate periodically.

Student Jomo Peters practicing his maths on the chalkboard

7. Our school played its second match about two weeks ago. They played the James Teah School. Like in the first game last December, the other school beat us, too.

Our boys and the boys of James Teah School playing on the field

James Teah School’s girls (left) and our girls (right) posing for a photo before the start of the game.

Our school in Buchanan, Help Liberia Foundation Community School, has closed for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Students singing at the closing program

The school closed on Friday, December 20, 2013. It is a two-week break that runs from December 20, 2013, to January 6, 2014. In short, the kids will return on Monday, January 6.

The closing was marked by a program that saw students singing Christmas carols, giving recitations and so forth.

Cross section of kids at the program

During the program, our director, Mr. Paul Yeenie Harry, encouraged the kids to take care of themselves during this festive season, saying, “You have to take care of yourselves well so that you will be able to come back here on January 6.” He also encouraged them to be more respectful, studious and hard-working in 2014.

Students singing Christmas carols

Our plan was to buy two bales of used clothes as Christmas presents to be distributed among the kids, but we did not have the money to bring Christmas smiles on the faces of the children. We hope we will be able to do this for the kids next year.

Students standing during the program; in the background are staff members

At this junction, we would like to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all those who are directly and indirectly connected to the school. As we end 2013 and start the New Year, it is our prayer and hope that the New Year will be more fulfilling for all of us.

Staff members sitting during the program

One of the main sponsors of Help Liberia Foundation Community School, David Turner, who is a British citizen, has given Christmas presents to the kids he sponsors in our school.

David Turner

David, a humanitarian living in the United Kingdom, is a committed sponsor of the school. At present, he is sponsoring four kids in our school and he has been doing this for seven years – that is, since 2007. When a child reaches grade 6 and graduates from the school, David selects a new child to complete the number to four.

Every year, besides paying his sponsored children’s school fees, David sends extra funds to the school to help with its operation. He also sends extra money for the kids’ school supplies, Christmas gifts and provisions and for other purposes.

David’s sponsored kids choosing their book bags, as a parent and Vice Principal Jarvis Krangar assist in the process

The four children he currently supports are Jomo Peters, Blessing Bah, Ruth Roberts and Samuel James.

A few weeks ago, David sent some money to cover the kids’ whole-year tuition and to do some purchasing for them. As usual, there were extra funds to help with the school’s operational expenses.

L-R: Jomo Peters, Blessing Bah, Samuel James’ mother, Samuel James and Ruth Roberts

So, the school took the kids to the market place in Buchanan and did some shopping for them. Items bought for each kid included food, shoes, belt, book bag, copy books, pens, clothes, washing soap, bath soap, toothpaste and other items.

The mother of one of the kids, Rebecca James, went with us during the purchasing. At the end, she expressed gratitude to David through the school and wrote a thank-you letter to David, which has already been sent to him.

The school’s director, Paul Yeenie Harry, posing with David’s students and Samuel’s mother

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to David for his continuous support to the school and the kids. We thank him especially for putting smiles on the faces of these kids and their parents during this Christmas season.

We wish David and his family Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2014!

Our school in Buchanan, Help Liberia Foundation Community School, last Friday, December 13, 2013,  played its first major football and kickball games since the school was established eight years ago.

The games, which were started around 11:am, were played between our school and another school called Kornonia Community School, also located in Buchanan.

Girls of both schools posing with the referee (in middle) before the start of the game. Our girls are on the right.

Kickball Match

The first game was a kickball match between our girls and the girls of Kornonia. Kickball is a game invented in Liberia and mostly played by Liberians. It is played by girls.

Before the start of the kickball game, our girls were excited and jubilant about it, promising to beat the other school. Unfortunately, our girls couldn’t withstand the skills of the other girls. They beat our girls badly. They had 28 points, and our girls had 16 points. Students, staff and parents were dejected. In fact, some of the smaller kids started crying on the field.

One of our girls in a ready position to catch a ball kicked by our opponents

“You should not be discouraged. You did well. This was your very first game, so you have to be encouraged by the fact that you scored more than 15 points against them. We are convinced that you girls will beat them next time. Besides, our boys will beat them,” remarked Mr. Paul Yeenie Harry, director of HLF Community School.

Our boys before the start of the football match

Football Match

Reflecting on the outcome of the kickball match, we were not that excited for the football match. It’s like we were hopeless hopeful, if that is the right way to say.

Just before the game could start, the students of the other school were jubilantly running all around the field, shouting and singing as if they were determined to annoy or confuse us. And, as if to increase our confusion, the Kornonia boys scored their first goal. Their singing increased, while our kids stood around the field sorrowfully.

Our boys shaking hands with the boys of Kornonia

While in this period of uncertainty, our boys scored their first goal, equalizing the scores.  In less than ten minutes, our boys scored their second goal. Our students, too, started running all around the place, shouting and singing. Staff members and parents could not hold their peace, too. An outburst of jubilation seized the sports ground. Before long, again, our boys scored their third goal. It was now 3-1. You have to imagine the ecstatic state we were in. Our boys were playing good football and most spectators began to praise them. The staff and the students of Kornonia became confused and silent. It was only our students who were shouting and singing.

Players in various positions on the field

Anyway, because of some mistakes, the other school managed to score two additional goals. So it was 3-3. Anxiety crept back into us, but our boys were ready to remove it. They scored their fourth goal and the game ended after a few minutes. In short, we won the football game by 4-3.

When the referee sounded the last whistle, we started the jubilation from the field and did not rest until we reached our campus. But who wouldn’t be jubilant in such a situation? It is as if their girls had not defeated our girls. The boys’ victory overshadowed everything.

Students in jubilant mood at the end of the game

A few things need to be remembered about the games last Friday, December 13, 2013. First, it was the kids’ very first time playing such matches in such a manner. Second, it was the first time ever that they used jerseys, which were brought by Anders and Lena during their visit in October and November. Third, our boys played better football than their boys played. Fourth, although they beat our girls, our boys beat their boys, and that beating lessened the impact of their girls’ victory.

We extend a very big thank-you to our boys, our girls, our staff, or parents, our Swedish sponsors and all other individuals and institutions that helped us to give the school a great day.

Click on photos below to see a larger version.