The School

Help Liberia Foundation Community School (HLFCS) is a nursery and primary school. It is located in Buchanan, a city about 70 miles/113 km from the Liberian capital Monrovia.

We started the school in 2005 with 30 children, and now have about 150 boys and girls aged between 3 and 15. The majority of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds – some are orphans, others are from families that have little or no regular source of income.

Although primary education at government-run schools in Liberia is free, there are not enough schools to cater for everyone and many are severely overcrowded. We do charge fees, but they are lower than the private schools in the area, making us a more affordable alternative for poorer families. Children who receive sponsorship do not pay for tuition.

As well as teaching the standard academic subjects, we also have a typing training programme and hope to add sewing and other vocational skills classes in the future. These additional practical skills will increase the children’s chances of gaining employment.

The students receive a hot lunch. This helps to keep them in school and improves their concentration in class as many families are only able to afford one meal a day. The food is sometimes provided by the World Food Programme, at other times it is purchased by the school.

The school is currently in a rented house but this building does not really meet our needs, so we have purchased a piece of land where we are planning to build a school of our own. Once the construction is complete, it will accommodate both elementary and junior high, and we will eventually add senior high school classes so that the children can complete their secondary education at HLFCS.

We welcome practical and financial support from people in Liberia and around the world. There is more information on what you can do to assist us on the how you can help page.

You can see more pictures from the school in the albums on our Facebook page (you do not need a Facebook account to view them).