by Jenny Elphick
When my husband Will was asked to consider taking on the position of Country Director for SIM in Liberia, West Africa, I wondered what role God would find for me. After 17 years of the joys and challenges of being a headteacher in a large UK primary school, I knew God was calling me to something different! 
In 2010 we had the privilege of serving on the Liberian Country Review team for SIM. During a packed 10 days it soon became very clear how God could use my experience in education to serve Him in Liberia.
Let me tell you a little about Liberia. Following the terrible 14-year-long civil war, 80% of the schools were destroyed and many teachers were either killed or fled the country. Today 80% of the population live on less than US$1 a day. The adult literacy rate is 51.4% and just 41% among females.
In reality, there is no free education; a household spends, on average, 23.9% on primary school fees. The Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy states that education is facing a number of barriers: lack of finance, weak capacity for management, outdated curriculum, lack of pupil resources, insufficient school places, insufficient trained teachers and an overcrowded university.
The Liberian Government and the churches are beginning to rebuild the education system, but it is a hard and slow process with limited resources and few trained teachers Although the country’s infrastructure was shot to pieces (literally) and many are living in abject poverty, what struck me most was the total passion and commitment of the Church to serve the needs of their own communities.
The team
We arrived in Liberia in November 2010, and began the work of building relationships with the ECUL church leaders and school principals. The ECUL, (Evangelical Church Union of Liberia) is the church planted by SIM. The church has set aside twowonderful Liberian men to work with us on this project, Pastor Boaki Harleyson and Pastor Samuel Johnson.
Boaki is a young man, who was sponsored by SIM to attend Bible college in Jos, Nigeria. He has a great depth of Christian knowledge and much understanding of the education system. With his natural drive and energy, he’s ready to serve the people of his country for the work of God.
Samuel was a principal (headteacher) for 20 years in a large school in Liberia. He has much local experience and Christian integrity to bring to the team. Many of the teachers and principals here have been fast tracked into teaching, and have missed much of their own education. However, it is so exciting to see that they are really eager for good quality training and this is a great opportunity to build Christian education within the Liberian culture.
So what is our aim?
We aim to see principals and teachers learning to walk closely with God in their role in Christian education. We want them to develop a clear understanding of what it is to be both godly and professional. We will be working alongside schools to enable their students to receive the best possible Christian education. This will entail strengthening the curriculum, training teachers, improving the learning and achievement of students and developing the leadership and management of their schools.
This is a great opportunity to build Christian education in a country that is virtually starting again after the war. We have a real desire to make this project sustainable, and by working alongside experienced staff to train them to be trainers, we hope to ensure the continuation of this project in the future.
In the first couple of months we visited the seven ECUL schools that have opened so far. We have met with the staff, and watched the children in action. Our welcome has been so warm, and it is encouraging to see the enthusiasm of all involved.
However, there are big challenges. There is little money to pay the teachers, and most have only a high school qualification themselves. There are few resources in the schools, and those that exist are not always appropriate. Most of the schools do not have their own buildings, but are meeting in the church, which they divide into classes with rush matting
Overcrowding is an issue. Parents pay a small fee for their children to attend, and children are expected to pay for their own copy books and pens. Not all can afford this, because many families, especially in the country areas, are still in survival mode following the war. We have evaluated the specific needs of each of the schools, and are now designing sessions of training.
Rock Hill Primary School
One of our schools, the Evangelical Christian Academy, is based in a place called Rock Hill. They have started a small school and are adding a new class each year. The Pastor, Rev Moses Paye and the Principal, Mr Wee, are focused on creating a school with a strong Christian ethos, where children will receive the best possible education. I watched some excellent Bible teaching, and the children are learning much about the Christian lifestyle through seeing it modelled in their small team of teachers.
Because none of these teachers take a salary, they must work after school to earn enough money to feed their own family. The income in this area is found from digging the rock out of the hillside and manually breaking it into small pieces to sell for construction of roads etc. As you can imagine, this is hard labour – especially at the end of a day of teaching. I so admire their perseverance and commitment. It is so humbling – the contrast to my own situation in my last school in the UK is breathtaking!
The school needs resources to teach reading and there are some reading books that have been specially written for Liberian children. These comprise six books for each year of elementary education. The six books needed to teach a child to read cost £3 ($4.80) a year. This is more than parents can afford at present, and the teachers do their best with what they have. We would so love to be able to provide some reading books for these schools and the training for teachers in how to use them.
On the SIM campus here in Monrovia is the ELWA Academy, which was originally started as a school for the children of missionaries in Liberia. It is now a school for local children, and has built a good reputation for providing excellent Christian education in the local community.
Benedict Nagbe, the Principal, is keen for his staff to join the teacher training, but also for his school to be used as a model and to share their expertise with other schools.
For moe information about this project or to get involved, please click here.
