children need an education

School had let out for vacation, leaving the resident students on the campus. The school year runs from October until July. The rainy season is from July until September.

While talking with students, I heard many say they wanted to get an education and then become a teacher, a doctor or something worthwhile. Camphor Mission school only has classes through ninth grade, because to add teachers to carry the education through twelth grade would require more teachers and more residences for the teachers. Incidentally, the teachers earn (US) $33.00-50.00 per month, with the upper salary paid to those who have graduated college. All the teachers get a roof over their head and a place for their family to sleep. Cooking is done outdoors. In January, temperatures can reach 110 here. In the photo of the palm tree, the items hanging from the branches looking like coconuts are nests of the rice birds.

Public schools (very limited geographicly) go through high school, but charge a tuition (little government support). Most children who graduate from Camphor Mission School don't go beyond 9th. grade. If a student has a high school graduation certificate they can usually get into a college for further education.

It's going to take years to rebuild the damage done by the civil war (waged over diamonds, gold, by greedy politicians), and already a whole generation has been lost when they were forced into the military as children. More about Frido Kinkolenge's programs to disarm and educate many of those young men and women.

Barbara and I send a little money each month to help the process of educating children at Camphor Mission school. It takes fifty cents to feed a child one meal a day in Liberia, fifty dollars to keep them in school (paying the teachers, giving them one meal a day at school, etc.). If you feel inclined you can send a tax deductible contribution (nothing kept out for overhead) to: General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, 475 Riverside Dr., Suite 1501, New York, NY 10115. God bless you.