Provide a quality education for girls in Liberia

GEM and the Jennifer Albee Enrichment School extend their profound gratitude to GlobalGiving and all our generous donors for their continuous support to the girls of Liberia.

GEM- Liberia is pleased to present its quarterly report. The periodic report is part of the Germinating Every Mind-Liberia's commitment to GlobalGiving and donors. This period's report covers from June  to October 4, 2023.

Problem: Harsh economic conditions reducing a girl's chance of completing formal education Solution: Provide stable access to safe quality education from an impoverished background for girls in Liberia Impact- A future without poverty Strategy- establish a safe-affordable school tailored for girls Project: Providing Quality Education for Girls in Liberia. We are at the beginning of our fourth academic year.

Huge Milestones
 1. Second Graduation Program held!

The school held its second graduation exercise on July 9, 2023. Thirty-one girls successfully passed from the kindergarten (14) and 6^th grade (17) divisions. Three students received double promotions from the six grade class to eighth grade class based on their excellent academic performances. Also, a total of 83 girls made a successful pass at the end of last school year. 56girls dropped out during the last school year due to lack of money to settle school fees and complete their academic school year.

2. Improvement in Literacy courses

Also, the girls have demonstrated great improvement in Literacy courses as compared to when they just enrolled at the school. More first graders can independently read cvcv( consonant vowel consonant vowel) words, while the bigger girls have improved in their writing and reading skills.  

3. We are a full Junior High / Middle School!

We are excited to announce that the school over the years, has finally elevated to its full junior high school status. We commenced at elementary and we are now a Junior High school. It took us great commitment to our work and the support of our donors and friends.

4. Fourth Academic School Year has commenced

On September 21, 2023, we commenced the official academic school year with registration still open so as to allow other kids, whose parents have not had them registered due to fear of elections violence, to complete their registration after elections.  A total of 150 girls pre-registered. Currently, 102 girls have started classes while we expect more registration of students after our country’s national elections which is slated for October 10, 2023.

Renovation Work Done

New renovation and extension work has been completed to accommodate the ninth grade class. All other classes have been fully partitioned to avoid distractions from other classes. This will help improve the classroom environment for both teachers and the students.

Expectations

Higher Academic Impact- This school year looks promising. We expect greater performance from the girls. Our teachers have completed their teachers’ training workshop and ready for the classroom. The training will enhance their skills and knowledge to be more ethical and professional in the discharge of their duties while considering their roles as teachers.

Short Term Goal- Our biggest goal this year is to purchase a land in Montserrado County to commence construction of our main campus while we continue to operate Margibi land as our agriculture hub and future dormitory.

Conclusion

A lot has happened in 3 years. We anticipate bigger achievements in the coming few years. All of that only happen through the support of our wonderful donors. For that, we again close on a note of gratitude to everyone who has placed in their resources to reach our project to the level we are at. Thanks to GlobalGiving for affording us the space for such wonderful fundraising opportunity.  In our vernacular, we say, 

AHN TLOR (THANK YOU)!

• GEM Liberia PDF report (PDF)
  

Dear GlobalGiving Family,

Germinating Every Mind Liberia (GEM Liberia) and the Jennifer Albee Enrichment School extend their profound gratitude to GlobalGiving and all of their donors for their continued support to the girls of Liberia. GEM- Liberia is please to share this quarterly report. This periodic report is part of the GEM-Liberia's commitment to GlobalGiving and our donors.

The period's report covers from February 9, 2023 to June 8, 2023. This year has been filled with so many exciting events and we are excited to let you in the know about what is happening with us. Currently, we are at the conclusion of the school year. As the year draws to a close, it feels like we are at the beginning. We are making headway among the schools in Kebbah and very soon we will set the record straight as the school of the Queen Bees. So far, our school is the only school from Kebbah that is in the National Spelling Bee Contest!

Huge Milestones-

Second Graduation Program scheduled for July 9! The school is set to hold its second graduation exercise next month, July 9, 2023. Thirty-one girls have successfully passed from the kindergarten (14) and 6^th grade (17) divisions. In Liberia, schools are divided into division levels to track the children's progress from secondary school.

Promotion: Three fifth-grade girls who demonstrated high academic excellence in the first half of the school year received promotion to the next class. This means by the close of the year, these three students will be promoted again to the following seventh grade to complete their double promotions. Despite all the economic challenges they have to go through, all three students obtained an above 92.5% average throughout the entire first semester. The students are our Queen Bee Hannah, Abioseh, and Rudiana (see photo).

In our last report, Rudianna was highlightrf as the Most Improved Student. Rudianna joined the school in the 2020/2021 school year in the fifth grade. However, due to her poor educational foundation, the school, in consultation with her parents, decided to place her in the fourth grade so that her reading and spelling skills would be adequately developed before she leaves the elementary division. Today, we are so proud of her progress as she has elevated from reading 12 words per minute to reading 55 words per minute!

We Qualified - The National Spelling Bee Contest! We are excited to report that our school is participating in the national spelling bee contest. Of the more than 26 schools that registered for the national spelling bee contest, the Jennifer Albee Enrichment School is among the six schools that qualified for the kick off. On June 16, 2023, we will be participating in the kick off at the Monrovia City Hall. We are determined to bring home the title!

3rd Annual Gala Week Celebrated This year's gala activities climaxed with a grand school parade. Since the establishment of the school, this is the first of its kind to have paraded the streets of Barnersville. School parades are an essential part of school activities. Although it is an expensive endeavour, they serve as a form of school awareness and inform the community about their presence in their locations. Students also look forward to, and take pride in, seeing their school’s parade. Being our first year meant so much to us and we took the opportunity to look as glamorous as possible. The school established eight different parade units and all of them were led by the Staff Girls Unit headed by General Angelyn. (see photo)

Expectations:

We are anticipating higher enrollment next academic year as a result of the parade, in addition to our unique educational curriculum, blending academic with vocational training. The large crowds of adults and students escorting us during the parade have influenced our conclusion. Therefore, our next major target is to secure land in Monrovia for our school construction and in the next few years end the need for an annual lease.

Once again, a big thanks to GlobalGiving and our many donors for their support in helping us achieve our dream of having a quality education for girls in Liberia.   

THANK YOU!