Dear John

Dear Friends of Hope,

One of the clearest most obvious ways that you can see the school’s transformation over the years is in the bathrooms. When the doors opened to Hope International in 2008 there were no bathrooms, only a flimsy piece of metal hung between poles to form two outdoor stalls.

Over the years, as the campus improvements began, non-flushing pit toilets and doors were installed. With the new buildings, the school now has gravity-fed flushing toilets on each floor. 

Healthy bathroom facilities continue to be an issue that Liberia faces. Hope International, through your generosity, now provides the students and staff with this essential provision. 

This progression beautifully exemplifies what has been made possible as we have grown and given together over these last 15 years. 

The School Love Has Built

Dear Friends of Hope,

In 2016, through the generosity of stateside donors (YOU!), we were able to purchase both the land and school building for $65,000 and begin some much-needed improvements on and replacement of existing structures. 

In 2018, we were able to replace the main school building with a 3-story structure that has 15 classrooms, a bathroom on each floor, administrative offices, and a teacher prep room. There remains such pride in this building for both the students and staff. 

In 2021, a second 3-story, 12-classroom building was constructed to replace the “death trap” building.  This is what the Liberian staff called the building, as some ceilings of the classrooms (we stopped using them) were on the verge of collapse.  The new building still needs painting and finishing touches, but isn’t it beautiful? 

The campus continues to improve and provide a comfortable and dignified educational environment for Liberia’s future leaders. 

Good Bones

Dear Friends of Hope,

The Hope International campus, through the generosity shared by so many, has undergone a significant transformation over the last 15 years. 

In 2007, the Liberian team found a piece of land with old school buildings, many having been severely damaged during the civil war(s) in Liberia. You can read more about this here. 
  
To be honest, it wasn’t the type of place you would walk through and think to oneself “it’s a bit rough, but it’s got good bones.” It was chosen because it existed in a community that needed a school, and it was affordable. There was little dreaming or imagining of what this campus would or could become at that point.  

The Hope Project entered into a lease agreement with the landowners in 2008. At that time, we were paying $2,800 per year for the school. That sounds like a screaming deal, and it was, but keep in mind, we had very little money. Remembering that we were renting someone else’s space, we made modest capital improvements as funds were available. 

Hope International opened its tuition-free doors in the community of Gardnersville that same year. During the first 5 years of operation additional classrooms and a medical clinic were added, and clean drinking water was provided for the school and surrounding community. 

We were now a central part of the community.  Little did we know then that this one school would become the heart of it.