Just as Liberia has had a slow post-war rebuilding, Hope International too has had a slow rebuilding. When we opened the doors in 2008, the school was a leased, abandoned cluster of buildings. It was the thing the community in Liberia desired most. More than food support or medical supplies, the community wanted a place for their children to learn.
From where we started, to where we are now, is nothing short of miraculous. Together, with you our stateside community and our Liberian partners, a place has been created that exudes dignity and possibility and hope.
As amazing as all of this is, without the 70+ Liberian teachers and support staff it would just be a campus, a beautiful shell. This staff has worked tirelessly to create a community within the community that shelters, supports and educates students, reminding them daily they are who puts the Hope in Hope International.
The staff created a night school to support adults in the community who didn't have the opportunity to attend school as children and volunteered their time to teach, eventually leading to paid positions. They give of their teacher's salaries to pay registration fees for so many children whose parents cannot afford them. They support their extended families throughout Liberia.
They, buoyed by you and funded through the generosity you share with Hope, are the foundation of what has been made possible.