Provide a quality education for girls in Liberia

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!