USAID/OTI Liberia Success Story
March 2006
Renovated schools and specialized curriculum provide education for war-affected youth in Liberia
The Liberia Transition Initiative (LTI) advances prospects for an inclusive, peaceful, political transition in the context of the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Accord. By increasing public understanding of key political transition issues and promoting participatory community reintegration and peaceful resolution of conflict, LTI is helping to build momentum for peace:
- The Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) program, a community-focused reintegration activity with the goal of enhancing peace through non-formal education
- Linking the YES program with small grants activities that reinforce community cohesion and assist in reconstruction and rural development
- Awarding small grants to national organizations in support of justice, media, conflict management, good governance and human rights
- Providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Education and USAID/Liberia's Accelerated Learning Program (ALP)
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| Newly renovated, the Lutheran Elementary School in Yekepa, Nimba County, provides a safe learning environment for over 300 young adults. |
As part of the USAID/Liberia focus on education tailored to overage students, LTI has developed the strategic framework for accelerated learning programs (ALP) and is coordinating ALP activities of Mission partners. ALP benefits 1,700 attending 24 faith-based schools throughout Liberia.
One lead ALP participant is Mrs. Lucinda Carter, head of the Seventh Day Adventist School System. Carter is positive about the impact of the program. "The ALP has encouraged and motivated older children who felt discouraged, due to their age, to enter schools. With the ALP, they now have the opportunity to do so, with their peers, and so they feel happy."
Due to the disruptions and chaos of a decade-long civil war, young Liberians have not had an opportunity to obtain an education, and many lack basic literacy and math skills. A majority of schools were destroyed or incurred severe damage during the 14 year Liberian civil crisis.
ALP delivers elementary education in three intensive years of schooling. In addition to teacher training, technical expertise, resource material procurement and distribution, LTI is renovating 15 faith-based institutions in Liberia to enable them to conduct accelerated learning programs.
Focusing on faith-based institutions that had remained open during the civil war, LTI partnered with their qualified teachers, training them to deliver the special ALP curriculum. Fifteen faith-based schools have been renovated and supplied with student and teacher desks and chairs. Communities contributed to the renovation activities by providing sand, bricks, gravel, unskilled labor and over 200 scholarships to acutely impoverished ALP students.
In addition to these important school renovation activities, LTI has trained 11 Master Trainers and 132 teachers active in faith-based schools. OTI has also supplied primary school texts, ALP curricula, and teacher manuals. Monthly coordination meetings are led by LTI to ensure high quality programming and implementation.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: John Gattorn, Program Manager, 202-712-4168, jgattorn@usaid.gov
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