Report: In Liberia for ‘Children of Africa’

From 30 April to 10 May, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Liberia for the ‘Children of Africa’ association. My aim was to visit our school in the small town of Bong Mines, which is around 100 kilometres or a two-hour drive from the capital Monrovia.

Our school is known locally as the Children of Africa School System, as it comprises several grades from kindergarten to final year. I was keen to find out about developments and needs on the ground and to talk to teachers and students to find out more about the reality of their lives.

On the first day, I was allowed to give a short speech to the assembled students.

I received a particularly warm welcome from the headmaster Massaquoi Shilling and our employees on site, Emmanuel Blama and our office manager Anthony Collins, who gave me excellent support and provided me with in-depth insights into their daily work.

During my stay, I was able to have in-depth discussions with the almost 20 teachers and find out all about teaching. It was impressive to see the dedication and passion with which the teachers teach and how good the relationship between pupils and teachers is. The conditions on site are certainly not easy, but I had the impression that the school management does its best to solve every challenge, no matter how small. The commitment also goes beyond the normal school day, with a lot of passion and empathy, Massaqui in particular tries to make attending school a pleasant and joyful experience.

Shooting a video of the graduating class.

My aim was to take photos and videos for our public relations work. I wanted to document the positive developments and everyday life at our school. Another important part of my visit was the meeting with Hans Peter Speyrer, the permanent representative of the ambassador at the German embassy in Monrovia. Here I was able to present our work and talk about further opportunities for support.

Together with Emmanuel Blama in front of the German Embassy

It was particularly important to me to find out about local needs, suggestions and wishes and to take these on board for our work. Our employees on the ground know the challenges best and it is ultimately about solving specific problems on the ground.

That's why I met with many different local people and talked about the challenges. In addition to the day-to-day challenges, we also discussed possible new projects and collaborations that could support our work.

We have discussed specific projects for our school that are to be implemented in the near future:

White Boards: The purchase of white boards is intended to make lessons more modern and interactive.
Bookcase for the library: A new bookcase will expand the school library and improve access to learning materials.
Expansion of the laboratory with new teaching materials: The laboratory has become somewhat outdated and needs new equipment. The natural history teachers wanted to be able to do more practical work here again.
Second building for the kindergarten: To avoid having to move between different buildings, a new building is to be erected on the school grounds. The costs for the extension amount to USD 750 per year.
Student programme for female students: This programme is specifically designed to benefit female students and give them better educational opportunities.
Internship in Germany for Massaquoi Shilling: We are planning to bring our headmaster Massaquoi Shilling to Germany for an internship to give him further insights into modern teaching methods.
Football shirts for the girls‘ team: We would like to support the girls’ team with new shirts and promote team spirit.
Project week with various workshops: A project week should include various workshops and teach the pupils practical skills.

The trip to Liberia strengthened the dialogue between the school and the association and showed me once again how important and valuable our work is on the ground. I am confident that we will be able to make another important contribution to improving the educational situation in Liberia with the planned projects.

I would like to sincerely thank all our supporters and look forward to continuing to share our progress with you.

Leonhard Simon