Liberia is a fascinating country, to say the least. The country as we know it today was founded in 1821 or 1822 when the American Colonization Society organised thousands of freed black slaves from the United States to re-locate to what was then Sierra Leone on the western coast of Africa. Over the next several decades, the colony grew - though there were many conflicts between the "Americo-Liberians" and the native Africans living in the area they colonized. In 1847, Liberia declared itself an independent nation.
Over the years, the Americo-Liberians became the "ruling class" in Liberia. They held most political power and controlled most decision making. In April 1980, a military coup occurred and Samuel Doe killed the then president (William R. Tolbert, Jr) before eventually changing the constitution and becoming president. Nine years (and one failed coup) later, a rebel group led by Charles Taylor (and supported by surrounding countries Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire) took control and kicked off the First Liberian Civil War, which lasted eight years and killed over a half a million people. In 1997 a final peace deal was sealed, elections were held, and Charles Taylor was elected president.
Two years later, the Second Liberian Civil War was triggered by a rebel group protesting Taylor's rule. This war included a siege of Monrovia and through the course of the violence, thousands of Liberians died or were displaced. In 2005, Liberia conducted what was considered the most free and fair elections in their history, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president. She was Africa's first woman elected president in Africa, and she is still in power today.
Over the roughly fourteen years of civil war, Liberians of all walks of life suffered greatly. The remnants of war remain today and the country is working hard to rebuild itself. The education system was deeply impacted, with many highly educated Liberians fleeing the country. Ten years after the civil war ended, President Johnson Sirleaf famously declared their education system "a mess." Here are a few facts about education in Liberia:
One thing that is totally uniquely Liberian is the food. One of our Liberian staff members explained to us that because the slaves who founded Liberia were used to eating scraps from their masters, it was a signal of progress for them that they could afford meals that contained a variety of foods. A meal isn't really a meal in Liberia unless it contains at least two types of meat. Many times this meant that our food had chicken AND fish. Or pork AND chicken. And, if you were in a pinch and needed a second meat, you could always count on chopped up hot dogs randomly added to food, haha. Another fascinating thing was that meals were often flipped from what I expected. Breakfast and lunch were the biggest meals of the day, and often included rice or pasta with meats and sauce. Dinner, however, was very light. In fact dinner was often two donuts and a cup of sweetened milk tea. Never a dull moment. Overall the food was really good...with the exception of one meal that was basically blackish green slime over rice. Blech.
During training we came back to Monrovia a few weekends to get supplies, eat some more sushi, and take warmer showers in rooms we didn't share with other humans, haha. As an introvert, spending 24/7 within arms reach of another person is tiiiiring.
Back at the training site we had a couple of government visitors are training wound down. Senator (and former first lady) Jewel Taylor came and talked about the importance of education, and during the graduation ceremony the Vice President came and congratulated the trainees for all of their hard work before they headed home.
During training I got an incredibly sweet gift form a trainee. I had been admiring the skirt of MaZoe, one of our trainees, and she had a skirt made for me! I am low key obsessed with patterned fabric, and I especially love West African fabric. Stunningly, the skirt she made fit almost perfectly, without her having taken any measurements. I love it. After I gushed to everyone alive about the gift, another trainee also gave Kara a skirt. It was SO SWEET.
Training is always crazy and hectic and stressful, but the team we worked with in Liberia was top notch. Loved that crew. They made me laugh daily and did such an incredible job preparing the new Principals and teachers.
After training we headed back to Monrovia as base camp to go out and visit schools to make sure things were running smoothly as we led up to launch. And to each a lot of good food.
The last week I spent in Liberia was focused on going out and visiting the new schools. Kara and I road tripped with Arthur, one of our Liberian staff, out to visit a bunch of schools outside Monrovia. It was great to see the staff on the ground getting things off to a strong start.
One thing I really appreciate about Liberia is that because the war and unrest are so fresh, the shared effort to rebuild the country is incredibly important to everyone. Many Liberians consider it their duty to create a better, more unified country. There are several social roles that both bind the country together and ensure traditions stay alive. Each village has someone who fills the role of "stranger-father." After the war displaced so many Liberians and separated them from their families and friends, the stranger-father role was created to make sure that people were well integrated into their new communities. A stranger-father works with community members to make sure the new person has a place to stay, food to eat, and feels a part of the new community. I wish we had someone who played that role in America! I love it. We worked with the stranger-fathers in several communities to find housing and support for teachers who had just moved there.
The stranger-father in the picture above was the sweetest man. As soon as he heard we were visiting the school he came over to greet us and tell us how happy he was that we were helping renew the school in his community. "When we heard about the partnership schools we were so happy. Our children deserve better schools. We prayed and prayed that our school would be chosen and were so happy when it came true." He then quizzed all of our new teachers on where they were staying and if they were eating enough. It was pretty lovely.
Another fascinating role is that of a zoe (pronounced zoh, not zoey). Zoes are the keepers of cultural traditions. They are responsible for making sure children have the traditional knowledge they need to be members of Liberian society. They help organise events - like traditional schools - with the local Sande (for women) and Poro (for men) Societies, which are traditional secret societies in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea. SUPER FASCINATING. Zoes are also secret, so you don't necessarily know who the zoe is in your community, but they are responsible for making decisions that impact the whole village. Politicians also have to get the zoe's buy in for new initiatives. I find the whole thing very interesting.
After a month in Liberia, I won't lie - I was ready to go home. I'm really glad I got to experience Liberia, and I'd love to go back to see our schools in action.
And if I ever miss Liberia I have that little friend I brought home with me, who sits on my desk and every once in a while brings me joy when I send friends terrifying messages from him.
Soon enough it was time to head back to the US for a few months before my next trip!
Over the years, the Americo-Liberians became the "ruling class" in Liberia. They held most political power and controlled most decision making. In April 1980, a military coup occurred and Samuel Doe killed the then president (William R. Tolbert, Jr) before eventually changing the constitution and becoming president. Nine years (and one failed coup) later, a rebel group led by Charles Taylor (and supported by surrounding countries Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire) took control and kicked off the First Liberian Civil War, which lasted eight years and killed over a half a million people. In 1997 a final peace deal was sealed, elections were held, and Charles Taylor was elected president.
Two years later, the Second Liberian Civil War was triggered by a rebel group protesting Taylor's rule. This war included a siege of Monrovia and through the course of the violence, thousands of Liberians died or were displaced. In 2005, Liberia conducted what was considered the most free and fair elections in their history, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president. She was Africa's first woman elected president in Africa, and she is still in power today.
Over the roughly fourteen years of civil war, Liberians of all walks of life suffered greatly. The remnants of war remain today and the country is working hard to rebuild itself. The education system was deeply impacted, with many highly educated Liberians fleeing the country. Ten years after the civil war ended, President Johnson Sirleaf famously declared their education system "a mess." Here are a few facts about education in Liberia:
- Only about 20% of students enrolled in primary school complete secondary school.
- Roughly 50% of children enter school 3-6 years late, and struggle to catch up.
- About 63% of girls between the ages of 15 and 24 are illiterate - in fact a girl is more likely to become pregnant by the age of 18 than literate.
- In 2013, nearly 25,000 students nationally sat for the entrance exam to the Univeristy of Liberia. Not a single student passed. In 2016, about 42,000 students sat for the exam, and only one passed.
It was in this dire situation that spurred the creation of Partnership Schools for Liberia in 2016. Several partner organisations, including my company, were brought in to take over roughly 100 Liberian public schools to create radical change. According to President Johnson Sirleaf, "Liberia needed to adopt a more radical appraoch, because we know that education is a long-term endeavor and more rapid results can only be achieved by departing from traditional structures."
We took over 23 schools, stretched across the country, in September 2016. I spent about a month in Liberia training the principals so that they were ready to run schools using our methods and technology. At the same time we trained hundreds of teachers to use our techniques of classroom management and specialised lesson plans.
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| Visa acquired, ready to roll! |
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| Source: Google Maps |
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| Murals on the wall of the airport. |
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| Well hullo Liberia! |
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| View from our office. Rainy season was in full effect when I got there, and when it wasn't actively pouring, it was cloudy. |
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| Street views in Monrovia. |
We spent a couple of days in Monrovia (mostly eating insanely expensive sushi and mind blowingly delicious donuts) before going to the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (RTTI) about an hour outside of Monrovia where we were hosting training. The rural training institutes provide USAID designed training for teachers throughout the country. We packed up all our materials in Monrovia and went to the site.
Members of our Teacher Training Team in Kenya came out to join us and help facilitate the classes. For many of them, it was their first time out of the country, so it was great to watch them explore and rack up new experiences. We also had Sandra from our tech team in Uganda join us. The training site didn't have enough room to accommodate all the staff, so Kara, Amelia, Desmond, and I ended up staying at a hotel "downtown" in Kakata. In fact, Kara and I shared a very small room with a single king-sized bed for the duration of the 2.5 week training. And there was only hot water if/when they brought us a bucket in the morning. And there was a mouse who was our third roommate. Can't win 'em all, haha.
Kara and I had a training room of our own for the Principals, that we went all out decorating. It was nice to get to go all out, and the Principals got really excited to see stuff about them up on the walls.
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| Kara looks entirely too psyched to be crammed in the back of a car with 100 smartphones. |
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| The ol' wall of smartphones. Comfy. |
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| Welcome to training! |
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| This photo doesn't quite do rainy season justice, but to do that I'd need to rig up all of your computers to pour buckets of water on you as you read this. It was AGGRESSIVE. |
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| The training site. |
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| And this classy little number - a nightclub right on campus! |
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| Rare and brief glimpse of sun...between clouds. |
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| Aaaaand there's the rain again. |
Members of our Teacher Training Team in Kenya came out to join us and help facilitate the classes. For many of them, it was their first time out of the country, so it was great to watch them explore and rack up new experiences. We also had Sandra from our tech team in Uganda join us. The training site didn't have enough room to accommodate all the staff, so Kara, Amelia, Desmond, and I ended up staying at a hotel "downtown" in Kakata. In fact, Kara and I shared a very small room with a single king-sized bed for the duration of the 2.5 week training. And there was only hot water if/when they brought us a bucket in the morning. And there was a mouse who was our third roommate. Can't win 'em all, haha.
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| Aaaand hanging your sheets on the razor wire to dry may explain some holes. |
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| Our bed also doubled as our living room for fancy soirees like the one above. |
Kara and I had a training room of our own for the Principals, that we went all out decorating. It was nice to get to go all out, and the Principals got really excited to see stuff about them up on the walls.
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| Kara taking some pics of our hard work. |
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| Each Principal had a profile they wrote about themselves up o the wall. |
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| They were also excited about getting the opportunity to learn more about each other. |
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| One of our taglines in Liberia. |
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| Nothing like a little low-key crafting to bring a smile to my face! |
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| Oh, we also had a Shout Outs wall where the trainees (and trainers) could recognise great work of people in the class. |
We had a great crew of Principals, who worked hard throughout training to learn our policies, technology, and best ways to support their teachers.
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| Training included small group discussions. |
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| Testing out the tech. |
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| Getting used to their smartphones. |
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| We had all ages and tech proficiency levels, and it was great that everyone helped each other. |
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| Practicing inputting new student information. |
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| The teamwork and support among trainees was really lovely. |
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| It was a great crew. |
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| One enterprising trainee accidentally set his own face as the screensaver on our Teacher Computer. Oops. |
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| Getting tech ready to distribute. |
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| Kara working 1:1 with one of our trainees. |
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| One of our Customer Experience staff leading a session. |
One thing that is totally uniquely Liberian is the food. One of our Liberian staff members explained to us that because the slaves who founded Liberia were used to eating scraps from their masters, it was a signal of progress for them that they could afford meals that contained a variety of foods. A meal isn't really a meal in Liberia unless it contains at least two types of meat. Many times this meant that our food had chicken AND fish. Or pork AND chicken. And, if you were in a pinch and needed a second meat, you could always count on chopped up hot dogs randomly added to food, haha. Another fascinating thing was that meals were often flipped from what I expected. Breakfast and lunch were the biggest meals of the day, and often included rice or pasta with meats and sauce. Dinner, however, was very light. In fact dinner was often two donuts and a cup of sweetened milk tea. Never a dull moment. Overall the food was really good...with the exception of one meal that was basically blackish green slime over rice. Blech.
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| Common meal: rice with chicken and fish in spicy sauce. |
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| Classic breakfast: spaghetti with chopped up hot dogs. |
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| Always a lot of starch. Often with dried fish in the sauce. |
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| Ahhh dinner. |
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| Liberia does not have a lot of fresh fruits, but these little rambutans were delicious. |
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| And then you wash it all down with some bagged water. |
During training we came back to Monrovia a few weekends to get supplies, eat some more sushi, and take warmer showers in rooms we didn't share with other humans, haha. As an introvert, spending 24/7 within arms reach of another person is tiiiiring.
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| Out with the training staff one night. |
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| I guess when this is the description... |
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| I guess I can't be mad that its exactly what we got. |
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| I fell in love with this terrifying little gourd man being sold at the hotel. I later bought him and made him mine. |
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| I think his friend was sad to be left behind. |
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| Could not get over how many fans were at this local bar. I think I counted over 20. |
Back at the training site we had a couple of government visitors are training wound down. Senator (and former first lady) Jewel Taylor came and talked about the importance of education, and during the graduation ceremony the Vice President came and congratulated the trainees for all of their hard work before they headed home.
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| Senator Taylor speaking to the trainees. |
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| Getting ready for graduation. |
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| Can you tell from our super sweaty faces that it was a million degrees in that hall? |
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| With some o the staff that made training so great. |
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| The Vice President addressing the remaining trainees at graduation. |
During training I got an incredibly sweet gift form a trainee. I had been admiring the skirt of MaZoe, one of our trainees, and she had a skirt made for me! I am low key obsessed with patterned fabric, and I especially love West African fabric. Stunningly, the skirt she made fit almost perfectly, without her having taken any measurements. I love it. After I gushed to everyone alive about the gift, another trainee also gave Kara a skirt. It was SO SWEET.
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| MaZoe and I with my new skirt. |
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| Kara in her new skirt (that was made for someone twice her height) against our lovely Pepto Bismol pink walls. |
Training is always crazy and hectic and stressful, but the team we worked with in Liberia was top notch. Loved that crew. They made me laugh daily and did such an incredible job preparing the new Principals and teachers.
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| Top to bottom: Washington Amelia, Desmond, Phil Asenath, Elsie, Ignatius, Josh, Nelson Kara, Beatrice, me |
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| Sandra and I (she missed the above picture, haha). |
After training we headed back to Monrovia as base camp to go out and visit schools to make sure things were running smoothly as we led up to launch. And to each a lot of good food.
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| Sushi dinner at Mamba Point. |
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| Really psyched about the giant beers. |
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| We survived training! |
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| Breakfast level YUM. |
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| Things were a little crazy in the office after stuff got dropped off from training. |
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| This bag, full of assorted cords, was like a personal nightmare as someone who organisation. |
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| Kara and I, on the other hand, were ultra organised haha. |
The last week I spent in Liberia was focused on going out and visiting the new schools. Kara and I road tripped with Arthur, one of our Liberian staff, out to visit a bunch of schools outside Monrovia. It was great to see the staff on the ground getting things off to a strong start.
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| Our schools! |
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| Off we go! |
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| Welcome to Kpakolokoyata Elementary! |
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| This was an assembly hall where they could put up dividers to make classrooms. (Plus check out Kara's cute skirt!) |
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| Dolokelen Barror Elementary. |
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| Pre-renovation some of the classrooms were really dark on cloudy days! |
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| G. Dungbo Public School |
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| Arthur hosting a parents' meeting at G. Dungbo. |
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| Families showing up at Dolokelen Barror to take placement exams!! |
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| It was such a great turn out. |
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| Lots of people interested in joining the new partnership school. |
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| Getting set up for placement exams. |
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| Passing the time until their exams start. |
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| Window views. |
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| Placement exams in progress. |
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| Kara entertaining some kids. Sort of. They appear unimpressed, haha. |
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| The Principal and Vice Principal of Instruction. |
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| The path to Kolleh Gwee in rainy season. |
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| Kolleh Gwee Public School. |
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| This school sits on top of a hill overlooking the surrounding area. |
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| Barbra was the first student admitted to Kolleh Gwee! |
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| Meeting with the strangerfather (more on that below) at Martha Tubman Public School. |
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| Working with the principal at Kpakolokoyata. |
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| Preeeeetty sure that they were using old student records as toilet paper at this school. I mean, I think we've all be there, am I right teachers? |
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| Each school also hung up these "I Love Teaching" boards that showcased their staff to parents. |
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| Amos had some great answers to why he wanted to be a teacher and school leader. |
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| Many Liberians have a strong patriotic reason for wanting to be a teacher. "I love teaching because I have realized that this is one of the ways I can help my country Liberia," |
One thing I really appreciate about Liberia is that because the war and unrest are so fresh, the shared effort to rebuild the country is incredibly important to everyone. Many Liberians consider it their duty to create a better, more unified country. There are several social roles that both bind the country together and ensure traditions stay alive. Each village has someone who fills the role of "stranger-father." After the war displaced so many Liberians and separated them from their families and friends, the stranger-father role was created to make sure that people were well integrated into their new communities. A stranger-father works with community members to make sure the new person has a place to stay, food to eat, and feels a part of the new community. I wish we had someone who played that role in America! I love it. We worked with the stranger-fathers in several communities to find housing and support for teachers who had just moved there.
The stranger-father in the picture above was the sweetest man. As soon as he heard we were visiting the school he came over to greet us and tell us how happy he was that we were helping renew the school in his community. "When we heard about the partnership schools we were so happy. Our children deserve better schools. We prayed and prayed that our school would be chosen and were so happy when it came true." He then quizzed all of our new teachers on where they were staying and if they were eating enough. It was pretty lovely.
Another fascinating role is that of a zoe (pronounced zoh, not zoey). Zoes are the keepers of cultural traditions. They are responsible for making sure children have the traditional knowledge they need to be members of Liberian society. They help organise events - like traditional schools - with the local Sande (for women) and Poro (for men) Societies, which are traditional secret societies in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea. SUPER FASCINATING. Zoes are also secret, so you don't necessarily know who the zoe is in your community, but they are responsible for making decisions that impact the whole village. Politicians also have to get the zoe's buy in for new initiatives. I find the whole thing very interesting.
After a month in Liberia, I won't lie - I was ready to go home. I'm really glad I got to experience Liberia, and I'd love to go back to see our schools in action.
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| Plus like...how cute are these kids?! |
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| Kids lined up for assembly! |
And if I ever miss Liberia I have that little friend I brought home with me, who sits on my desk and every once in a while brings me joy when I send friends terrifying messages from him.
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| Packed up to come to America. |
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| At home on my desk. |
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| I laugh every time I see this. |
Soon enough it was time to head back to the US for a few months before my next trip!
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| Bye, Liberia! |
