Help Liberia Foundation Community School

Until about three months ago, our school used to receive food rations from the World Food Program (WFP), however periodically it occurred. We used to receive burger wheat, oil, beans and salt.

However, since January, we have not received food rations from the organization. In a sense, the children had not been eating, and cooking at the school is one of the things that keeps the children in school.

Kids receiving food

Then when our Swedish guests were about to return to Sweden, Elisabeth Thorne, on behalf of the group, gave the school US$100 to cook for the kids.

The school used the US$100 to cook for the entire school – kids and staff – for one whole week, and everyone had enough to eat every day.  In fact, instead of cooking burger wheat for the kids, the school bought rice – Liberia’s staple food.

Staff members getting food from the cook

We wish to express our profound thanks to Elisabeth and the other visitors for donating the US$100, which fed the entire school for one complete school week.

If any individual or organization out there is willing to help the kids and the staff to eat at school every day, US$100 can do that for a whole week.  Yes, US$100 can feed the students and the staff for a week!

After spending Day One and Day Two at our school in Buchanan, the third and final day of their visit and stay at the school came on Thursday, March 28, 2013.

The day was characterized by mixed feelings – joy and sadness. Joy because it was a day of additional interaction and fun among the students, the staff and the visitors. But the day was also sorrowful because it was the day on which our visitors – Elisabeth, Marianne, Lena and Anders – would be ending their visit and leaving from Buchanan.

Kids excitedly responding to a Swedish play performed by our visitors

“It is sad that we will be leaving you to go back to Sweden. We have had a great time at the school since we came here, and it is sad that we are ending our visit, but we can tell you that we will continue to remember you and interact with you,” our guests indicated.

“We will miss you a lot, too. We have been interacting as if we have known one another for years,” said a female teacher.

Our visitors doing a traditional Swedish play for the school

Anyway, we began the day with a series of activities, affording the school and the visitors to interact more before their departure. Additional games were played, songs were sung, farewell speeches were made, etc.

At the end of the activities mentioned above, the school carried out what is commonly referred to as “gowning” in Liberia. We attired the guests with African clothes – the ladies receiving African dresses, and the man receiving an African shirt.

Nancy, a teacher, gowning Lena

Each speaking after the gowning ceremony, our visitors thanked the school for honoring them in such a way and promised to remain friends of the school. It was a moving moment for each of our visitors, as some almost cried from emotions as they made their remarks after being gowned.

Visitors Given Bassa Names

It is a tradition for Liberians to give Liberian names to their oversea visitors or guests at such an occasion. Therefore, following the gowning ceremony, the school gave Bassa names to our guests, and they are as follows:

1. Elisabeth – Janjay (meaning “goodness” in Bassa)
2. Marianne – Dyujay or Youjay (meaning “for the sake of children” in Bassa)
3. Lena – Ah Deyh (meaning “our mother” in Bassa)
4. Anders – Ah Bah (meaning “our father” in Bassa)

Our guests after the gowning ceremony

We are appreciative of the sacrifices Elisabeth, Lena, Marianne and Anders made to visit the school in Buchanan. Besides the expenses involved, there were other constraints they experienced concerning their trip. We expressed our sincere thanks to them all for making those sacrifices for the school.

Following the gowning ceremony, we entered the school building for a final meeting between the staff of the school and our guests, after which they departed Buchanan for Monrovia, spending about a week in the city before returning to Europe on Sunday, April 7, 2013.

Guests and kids interacting

Our school’s doors are always open to Elisabeth, Lena, Marianne and Anders. Not only that. Our doors are also open to all other individuals who may want to visit or interact with our school.

Pictures from the day are below (click on any picture to see a slideshow).

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, marked the second day of the guests’ visit and stay at the Help Liberia Foundation Community School in Buchanan.

And, like Day One, Day Two was characterized by various activities, some of which are as follows:

Lena and Veronica, a female teacher, playing knock foot

1. We had another interactive session where the staff and the children sang songs, gave recitations, told jokes and our guests also sang, danced and talked to the kids and staff more about Sweden.

2. Our female teachers and students taught the visitors how to play knock foot (a Liberian female game) and other plays.

Elisabeth and a child playing the jump-rope game

3. There were jump-rope mini-competitions in which our visitors, staff and students happily participated, with each trying to prove that they could do the jumping rope for minutes without being entangled by the rope.

4. Lena and her husband (Anders) presented the gifts they brought for the school – football, notebooks, pens, telephones, a camera, some books, etc.

Paul and the students posing with Lena and Anders after receiving the gifts

Of course, we could not just do all those activities without resting to put something in the stomach, so we all ended and went for a dish of palm butter rice, a typical traditional dish.

Watch out for the article and photos for Day Three.

Pictures from the day below (click for larger images).

The four-person European delegation, which was expected to visit our school, has finally arrived in Liberia and has already visited the school, interacting with students, staff and parents.

Child presenting white kola nuts to welcome the guests traditionally

The delegation, headed by Elisabeth Thorne, arrived in the country on Sunday, March 24, 2013. The other three persons are Marianne Scharcz, Lena Marner and Anders Marner. Elisabeth and Marianne spent a night in Monrovia and came to Buchanan on Monday, March 25, while Lena and Anders came on Tuesday because they had some problem connected with their luggage.

Hence, Elisabeth and Marianne’s first day at the school was Tuesday, March 26, while Lena and Anders’ first day was Wednesday, March 27.

Staff members posing with the visitors

On the first day, the following things were done:

1. The school, through one of the students (a little girl), traditionally welcomed Elisabeth and Marianne, presenting them with two white kola nuts placed in a white plate. Some parents were also present. The kola nuts represent peace and purity of heart. This took less than five minutes.

2. Following this, we all entered the school building for a special welcoming program in honoring of the visitors. Students, staffers and parents were in attendance. Songs were sung, recitations were done, speeches were made, etc. Parents thanked the guests for visiting the school, and asked them to help the school and the children in whatever way they can.

Marianne speaking to the kids

3. After the welcoming program, we took a tour of the inside of the building, showing our guests the classrooms, the storerooms and the office.

4. After the tour, the administration of the school had a special meeting with the visitors. During the meeting, the staffers were formally introduced, the progress the school has made since its establishment in 2005 was highlighted, the problems it faces were pinpointed and the goals it has set thus far were made known.

Elisabeth and Marianne dancing a Swedish song for the kids

5. Following the meeting, another program, this time, a more interactive one, was held. Elisabeth and Marianne talked about their country, Sweden, and the students and staff asked questions – plenty of questions. And the two were willing to answer them. The kids sang. Elisabeth and Marianne also sang some Swedish songs and danced.

6. When we completed the interactive session, the students and the staff assembled in front of the school building for the visitor to present the gifts they brought for the school.

Marianne and Elisabeth posing with students on the school’s future-home site

7. Following that, the staff and a few of the students went with Elisabeth and Marianne to the school’s own land on which it is planning to build a modern school building for the kids.

8. After visiting the site, the guests and the staff went back on the campus to have lunch – rice and fried potato greens. It was delicious!

Elisabeth and Marianne eating potato greens and rice

It is said that “every good thing must come to an end,” so it was with the first day. After we had had lunch, we all went back to our various places. Of course, the next day’s activities were on our minds.

All in all, we all – the visitors, the staff, the parents and the kids – had a wonderful time together on the first day.

Watch out for the article and the photos for Day Two soon.

Pictures from the day (click to see larger images)

Our school, Help Liberia Foundation Community School, will next week receive a four-person delegation from Europe.

The visiting guests, headed by Elisabeth Thorne who is a psychologist and psychotherapist, are all coming from Sweden and will be in Liberia for about two weeks, from March 24 – April 7.

Elisabeth Thorne

Paul and Elisabeth have been communicating about this visit since December 2012, and it is wonderful to know that it will be a reality.

Elisabeth once lived in Liberia, specifically in Buchanan, for ten years when she was a child. That was a long time ago – long before the war started. She had been thinking about how to give back to Buchanan and, then, luckily, she heard about our school through some friends who are already assisting the school in some ways and she, too, has decided to help.

She has been working with the treatment of traumatized people and children of traumatized parents for many years in Sweden.

Those coming with Elisabeth are Lena Marner, Elisabeth’s sister; Anders, Lena’s husband; and Marianne, a friend of theirs, who also works with children in Sweden.

More information later.