In 2003, the West African country of Liberia emerged from two decades of civil war that crippled its economy, destroyed its infrastructure, and left most of its population in poverty. While Liberia is in the process of rebuilding, the government has not been able to effectively address the education gap that persists. At least 50 percent of the country’s schools were destroyed during the war, and more than 60 percent of Liberia’s teachers lack proper training. With a shortage of schools and qualified teachers, Liberian children are effectively denied access to quality educational opportunities.We, at FUEL Youth, view education as a critical part of the rebuilding process – in Liberia, as well as in other post-conflict countries. Education can salvage a young generation traumatized by conflict to offer a brighter future for all Liberian citizens.
The youth of Liberia show an incredible amount of motivation and a strong desire to learn. We believe helping them in this endeavor will lead to a sustained peace, and make youth today and in the future less vunerable to being coerced by negative forces that may try to pull Liberia back into conflict.
Liberia has always been a close sister to the United States, with its establishment as Africa’s first and only true independent republic, settled by free former slaves and other African Americans from the United States in the 19th century. Liberia remains a sister country of the United States and FUEL intends to foster this relationship by helping our Liberia friends forward in today’s world.
