We Interrupt Summer School to Celebrate with Hope

As this school year wraps up, we, along with the students at Hope International School, are filled with joy, excitement, and celebration! How lucky are we to have such dedicated teachers and staff, students who are curious and hardworking, and partners like you, whose continued generosity helps make it all possible!

Please enjoy the message below from Principal Mark Howe as he reflects on the many accomplishments made possible throughout the school year with your partnership.

Thank you for being part of another incredible year of HOPE!

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Greetings from Mark Howe | Principal of Hope International

On behalf of the administration and the general staff of the Hope International School, I am pleased to extend my heartfelt gratitude to The Hope Project community for all of your support. We are incredibly proud and fortunate to have you as partners. We are also proud to say, it is because of your generosity, the vision and mission of The Hope Project in Liberia is alive and continues impacting so many Liberians lives as it has done for the past 18 years.

I would like to share with you some of the good things that happened this school year.

The establishment of an exceptional school press club, led by student, Princess Flomo, who will be graduating this year.
 

Providing customized copybooks to 1,500 students free of charge. 
 

Supporting and seeing nine of our teachers graduate. Initially, through a grant I applied for by USAID and then through the generosity of this community.
 

Installation of internet on the school's campus for both students and teachers. 

May God continue to bless and replenish you.

Hope 101: Injustice and Resilience

Liberia was officially founded in 1847 by formerly enslaved and free Black Americans who emigrated to West Africa through an organization called the American Colonization Society (ACS). These newcomers, known as Americo-Liberians, brought many aspects of American southern culture and government with them to a region that was already home to at least 16 Indigenous ethnic groups with their own rich histories, cultures, and systems.
 
Over time, economic and political power was consolidated among the Americo-Liberian minority and, as you might imagine, it created divisions within Liberia that have shaped the country over the last 200 years
 
Like many places, Liberia's history is richly complex and includes stories of both terrible injustice along with incredible resilience.

Many of Liberia's most recent challenges come from back to back civil wars, the first starting in 1989 and lasting until 1997. A second war followed in 1999 and ended in 2003. In total, these two wars claimed nearly 250,000 lives (about 1 in 10 Liberians at the time). Almost half the country's population was displaced. Infrastructure was destroyed. Schools, hospitals, and businesses struggled to stay open. Families were separated and many atrocities were committed. These impacts are still being felt today.
 
While rebuilding from these wars, West Africa was hit with Ebola and from 2014-2016, Liberia was one of the countries hit hardest by the epidemic. Over 10,000 people were infected and nearly half of those died. Schools closed. The healthcare system was overwhelmed, and much progress in the country stalled. Then just a few years later the COVID-19 pandemic created even more challenges.
 
Despite all of this, the people of Liberia continue to persist.

During our visits, we see the many hardships Liberia continues to face, but what comes through the most is the resilience and hope of the Liberian people. The way they care for each other, champion each other, and continue to strive towards a better future. For themselves. For their children. For their country.
 
The problems and issues that Liberia faces did not happen overnight and they did not happen simply because of war or disease. They involve issues that go back much further and have much to do with the unique historical relationship Liberia has with the United States and the political, economic, and social inequality that was put into place from the beginning; all made more difficult by war, disease, lack of resources, and poverty.
 
Understanding a bit of the history helps in learning the challenges the Liberian people have faced as they work to rebuild. It also reinforces the importance of this community of Hope, as we all work together to create opportunities for future generations of Liberians.

Welcome to Summer School: Hope 101

Summer is here and we hope your long, sunny days are filled with time spent doing the things you love. Hope International ends its 2025/2026 school year on July 10th. We celebrate together with students, staff, and our stateside community 18 years of Hope being Hope. Some of you reading have been here from the earliest of days (thank you!) and some of you have come alongside throughout the many years (thank you!).

Over the next couple of months, we will be sharing weekly Hope 101 primers.

The first few emails may feel a bit heavy, but we ask you to stick with us. It is important to know the context in which Hope International came to be and its purpose today. The series will start with some Liberian history, the civil war(s), and the slow rebuilding, all reminders of the beauty and challenges that exist, and why the school is such a unique and impactful model. We are starting with the macro and will narrow the lens each week, arriving finally, to the hope-filled students who are the reason we exist. 

The past 18 years have built connections and possibilities and purpose. We have learned and grown together into something rare and solid. At its foundation and in every endeavor of Hope are the students who will lead Liberia forward. We may be a small organization, but the hope and impact generated through our stateside community and our Liberian partners has been nothing short of world-altering.

We hope you will read each week, settled in with a cup of coffee in hand, and remember where we have been and see just how beautiful the way forward can be.