Friends Of Liberia Inc

SUPPORT EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS RELATING TO LIBERIA

EDUCATION: THE FRIENDS OF LIBERIA (FOL) EDUCATION COMMITTEE CONTINUED ITS EFFORTS TO SUPPORT WE-CARE INTERNATIONAL, A LIBERIAN-BASED (AND OPERATED) NGO BASED IN THE GREATER MONROVIA AREA. OF THE MANY PROJECTS WE-CARE RUNS, FOL EDUCATION COMMITTEE PROVIDES GUIDANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE (FLI). THE FLI USES A VERSION OF THE HIPPY CURRICULUM ADAPTED FOR LIBERIA. HIPPY IS AN INTERNATIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GROUNDED IN THE BELIEF THAT LEARNING BEGINS AT HOME AND PARENTS CAN PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE AS EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS WITH SCHOOLS. IT IS WIDELY KNOWN THAT CHILDREN ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL WHEN PARENTS ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR LEARNING. HIPPY IS DESIGNED TO HELP PARENTS PREPARE THEIR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN FOR SUCCESS IN SCHOOL AND LIFE AND TO EQUIP PARENTS WITH THE TOOLS, SKILLS, AND CONFIDENCE THEY NEED TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDRENS LEARNING AT HOME SUCCESSFULLY. WE-CARE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED YEAR 8 OF THE HIPPY HOME VISITORS PROGRAM WITH 259 CHILDREN. WE-CARE HAS ALSO SECURED FUNDING FOR ANOTHER YEAR FROM COMIC RELIEF US. THE EDUCATION COMMITTEES DEDICATED MONITORING AND EVALUATION TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON EXPANDING OUR PREVIOUS REPORT TRACKING THE GRADUATES FROM THE HIPPY PROGRAM. FOL CONTINUES TO WORK WITH WE-CARE TO CONTEXTUALIZE CURRICULUM APPROPRIATE FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN IN LIBERIA. HIPPY IS BASED ON THE PHILOSOPHY THAT LEARNING BEGINS AT HOME, AND PARENTS OR GUARDIANS ARE A CHILDS FIRST TEACHER. EACH WEEK, HOME VISITORS MEET WITH PARENTS TO TRAIN THEM TO TEACH LITERACY TO THEIR CHILDREN EFFECTIVELY. THE HOME VISITORS DEMONSTRATE THE WEEKS LESSONS, TEACH PARENTS STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THEIR CHILDRENS READING SKILLS. AND USE ROLE-PLAYING TO TRAIN PARENTS TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN INTERACTIVELY. THE PARENTS THEN TEACH THEIR CHILDREN BY READING WITH THEM AND ASKING THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT THE READINGS. FOLS EDUCATION SUB-COMMITTEE WORKS MONTHLY TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF WE-CARE IN EVALUATING AND MONITORING ALL THESE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENTS, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING THEM FINANCIALLY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THE ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM (ALP) IS A SERIES OF GROUP INSTRUCTIONS DESIGNED TO HELP HIPPY PARENTS IMPROVE THEIR ENGLISH LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS. THE ALP CURRICULUM IS DESIGNED TO WORK WITH THE HIPPY CURRICULUM, BUT THE CLASSES ARE NOT EXCLUSIVE TO HIPPY PARENTS, THOUGH HIPPY PARENTS GET PRIORITY IN THE PROGRAM. WE-CARE CONTINUED THE ALP PROGRAM WITH 74 LEVEL ONE LEARNERS AND 44 LEVEL TWO LEARNERS. THE FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE (FLI) PROGRAM IS MAKING KEY PROGRESS AS IT COMPLETED THE EIGHTH YEAR OF BRINGING LITERACY AND SCHOOL READING SKILLS TO PARENTS AND THEIR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. THIS PROGRAM IS INCREASING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR 3 TO 5 YEARS OLD CHILDREN IN DISADVANTAGE COMMUNITIES IN LIBERIA TO HAVE QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION WITH THEIR PARENTS AS THEIR FIRST TEACHERS. THE PARTNERSHIP OF WE-CARE FOUNDATION, FRIENDS OF LIBERIA AND HIPPY INTERNATIONAL IS EFFECTIVE AND WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF FLI. GRADUATION EXERCISES FOR YEAR 3 STUDENTS WERE HELD IN JANUARY 2024. THE EXTERNAL EVALUATOR IS NOW CONDUCTING THE ENDLINE ASSESSMENT FOR BOTH BRACKEN SCHOOL READINESS FOR THE CHILDREN AND THE OUT OF SCHOOL LEARNING ASSESSMENT (OLA) FOR THE ADULT LEARNERS.PLANS FOR YEAR NINE OF THE HIPPY HOME VISITING PROGRAM HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY AFFECTED BY THE DECISION RECEIVED FROM COMIC RELIEF US THAT FUNDING FOR 2024 WOULD BE CUT IN HALF. AFTER SERIOUS DISCUSSION, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT TO CONTINUE OUR LITERACY WORK IN THESE COMMUNITIES IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO DISCONTINUE ALL YEAR 1 RECRUITMENT AND LEARNING IN THE FIVE COMMUNITIES. THIS DECISION IS NOT MADE EASILY. IT WILL REQUIRE LAYING OFF HOME VISITING STAFF AND DISAPPOINTING PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES WHERE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED STRONG RELATIONSHIPS. WE-CARE WILL HAVE FUNDING TO CONTINUE PROGRAMMING FOR CHILDREN IN YEAR 2 AND YEAR 3 IN ALL FIVE COMMUNITIES. WE-CARE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR FUNDING TO FULLY FUND THE HIPPY HOME VISITING PROGRAM IN THE FIVE COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN IN YEAR 1, 2 AND 3.

WORKSHOP GENERAL HEALTH: IN 2023 THE FRIENDS OF LIBERIA HEALTH TEAM WORKED WITH THE LIBERIAN HEALTH TEAM TO CONDUCT THE FOURTH ANNUAL CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) WORKSHOP FOR NURSING/MIDWIFERY FACULTY AND CLINICIANS TO MAINTAIN COMPETENCIES. WITH SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS OF LIBERIA-US AND GLOBALGIVING, THE FOL-LHT CONDUCTED ITS 4TH ANNUAL WORKSHOP AT THE PHEBE PARAMEDICAL TRAINING SCHOOL IN GBARNGA, BONG COUNTY. TWENTY-ONE FACULTY FROM LIBERIAN BOARD FOR NURSING/MIDWIFERY ACCREDITED SCHOOLS AND TWENTY-ONE NURSES/MIDWIVES FROM TWENTY-ONE MAJOR/REGIONAL HOSPITALS ATTENDED THE WORKSHOP. IN ATTENDANCE WERE THE PRESIDENT OF THE LIBERIAN NURSES ASSOCIATION AND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF NURSING/MIDWIFERY OFFICER OF LIBERIAN BOARD FOR NURSING AND MIDWIFERY. THE MONEY EXPENDED IN 2023 WAS FOR WORKSHOP EXPENSES IN JANUARY 2024.

SMALL GRANTSTHE FRIENDS OF LIBERIA SMALL GRANTS COMMITTEE REVIEWED MORE THAN 46 APPLICATIONS IN 2023 AND SELECTED FOUR APPLICANTS TO RECEIVE SMALL GRANTS. THESE GRANTS SUPPORTED PROGRAMS IN TEACHER TRAINING, EMPOWERED AND ENHANCED BRAILLE LITERACY AMONG VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS IN RURAL LIBERIA, AND HELPED TO RENOVATE AND EXPAND THE CLINIC AND TRIAGE AREA AT A MATERNAL & CHILDCARE FACILITY.