Real Chance

EIGHTY-FIVE percent of the population of Liberia live below the poverty line, with a staggering fifty-two percent below the level of extreme poverty. This means in practice that seventy percent of family resources are dedicated to food. Malnutrition in children is endemic. “According to UNICEF, around fifty-four percent of children don't complete their education,” explains Father Lorenzo Snider, parish priest of Foya and project supervisor. “This is largely due to economic difficulties as families are unable to pay school fees or even buy study materials for the children.”

The parish currently follows some 800 pupils in five schools in the towns of Foya, Ngesu, Kongor, Kolahun, and Vahun. “Our commitment to human promotion is an important part of evangelisation, not with the intention of proselytization, but rather to be a sign of hope to the people to whom we are called to share the joy, hope, sadness, and anguish of the everyday fatigue of living.” says Fr. Lorenzo.

Vahun is one of the most marginalised of the towns due to its position 80 kilometres from the parish of Foya on the border with Sierra Leone. Reachable only via a precarious dirt road, it takes more than 3 hours by motorbike to get there or five hours in a truck during the dry season. “During the civil war, the people were witness to episodes of terrible violence,” continues Fr. Lorenzo. “During the COVID pandemic the border was closed for a year, which made it impossible to transport goods to Sierra Leone, and as a result a lot of agricultural produce went unsold. The crisis has continued for the people there as the currency – the people use the Sierra Leone dollar rather than the Liberian dollar – has devalued by sixty percent, further aggravating the poverty of the people.”

Santa Monica school

Starting back in 2020, with the assistance of many benefactors, the parish constructed the Santa Monica School in Vahun, which provides education to around 200 nursery and elementary students.  In parallel to the provision of a school, the parish also initiated an agricultural project to sustain the school and the community in the coming years. “We purchased around 70 hectares of land suitable for cultivating cacao and palm oil. We planted 3,000 cacao trees, which will allow for production in around two years, and will have covered the land in the next five years, says Fr. Lorenzo. “We also financed the training of teachers during this time, and seven have achieved the C grade needed to enable them to teach at the elementary level.”

Three new classrooms

To enable families to send their children to the school, fees have been kept as low as possible – around ten dollars for the year – offering a real chance for education to the children of Vahun. But the school was no longer fit for purpose, as some classes had over 80 students in one classroom. A project was drawn up for the construction of three new classrooms, which would allow class sizes to be reduced to 35 per class, and for school offices. The total cost of the project would be just over US$45,000. After taking into account local contributions and other donations, a request was made to St. Anthony’s Charities to assist with the financing, and a grant of €32,000 was approved.

The first part of the project began on receipt of the first instalment of €16,000 received in August 2023 and was completed in January 2024. The work included the clearing of the ground, the removal of trees and shrubs, and the excavation of the foundations; the production of 1500 sand and cement bricks for the foundations, the laying and filling of the foundations; the production of geo-cement bricks for building, perforated bricks to provide ventilation, and concrete pillars; finally, the laying of the bricks together with the load-bearing concrete pillars.

The final part of the project began in February 2024. Work in this phase included the installation timber and roofing sheets for the three classrooms and offices; the internal and external plastering; the flooring of the rooms with concrete and smooth cement; the supply and installation of the windows; the installation of ceilings; internal and external painting; and the construction of 45 benches in local wood. “The work was delayed for a while because there were no cars or trucks available to transport timber along the forest track to the construction site,” says Fr. Lorenzo. “This speaks volumes about the poverty in the area and the quality of life of the people here. The delays in delivery had a knock-on effect on the workers and technicians who had to stop work and return to Foya while waiting for the repair of the pick-up that serves the village.” Work was finally completed on 17 June, 2024.

Positive impact

“The impact on the community of constructing three new classrooms for the Vahun school has been extremely positive,” concludes Fr. Lorenzo. “With your help, we have been able to provide the students with a well-made structure that has been designed to last. The district of Vahun, its administrators, leaders, and religious leaders are grateful to St. Anthony’s Charities and the readers of the Messenger of Saint Anthony. In this part of the world, constructing a school has more than just importance to the direct beneficiaries – the students who will use it – it also has a very powerful symbolic value. It signifies a belief in the development of the population, in the possibility of improving the life quality of those who live in what continues to be one of the poorest areas of the world, a belief in the possibilities that will come from the population itself, from the children of today – our students – who will be responsible for tomorrow. In an area with a Muslim majority where the Catholic community represents a small minority, thank you for helping us to be that which we are, a people of God working to construct a bridge of solidarity and hope.”