Adult & Family Literacy in Liberia 2024 -2025

Family Literacy Initiative Report To GlobalGiving Covering the Period November 2024 – February 2025 

     One of the key challenges for underdeveloped countries like Liberia that is struggling with inequality and the ability to take advantage of opportunities, is poor educational outcomes. Family Literacy Initiative (FLI), a HIPPY homebased early childhood education program with parents serving as the teachers of their children, is addressing this intergenerational problem from the home by improving the educational outcomes of children and providing parent and child with the critical skills and confidence they will need to succeed.

     We extend our thanks to GlobalGiving and all our generous donors for their support to low-income families, with out -of- school children ages 3 -5 living in Liberia.

     We are please to report that FLI year nine closing program was held in each of the five communities of West Point, Caldwell,   Duazon, Neezoe and Nyemah Town. The program’s 223 children (105 males and 118 females) and their parents demonstrated literacy, numeracy and other school readiness skills during the indoor program. The audiences were amazed to see mothers who could not read a year ago, reading and interacting with their children. Attending the program in each community, included district education officers from the Ministry of Education, Community leaders, women, religious and youth leaders. They were overwhelmed and every speaker emphasized the need for the FLI program to be scaleup so that other families living in underprivileged communities might benefit from this life changing program.

Challenges

      Major challenges in FLI year nine implementations included the difficulties for some families to leave their petty trading or farms to attend adult literacy classes at the designated time and, the deplorable road conditions during the rainy season in rural and swampy communities. Most times when the roads were flooded, the program staff were unable to reach some areas like the rural community of Gankalashue. The program’s management team mitigated these challenges by using regular phone calls and text messages to adult learners on class days, visited and role played with parents on their farms and at their trading areas. More than 75% of the program beneficiaries (parents) are single parents surviving on petty trading in urban communities and farming/gardening in the rural areas.

HIPPY Conference

     A representative from WE-CARE Foundation attended the HIPPY Conference of Directors in Vancouver, Canada. A presentation was made on the FLI/HIPPY program’s activities and outcomes. Directors of HIPPY programs from seven other countries made presentation on their respective programs. What stood out during the conference was the level of evidence that has been collected on the positive results of the HIPPY program. Also, like FLI, all the countries have done adaptions to the HIPPY program to suit their respective country contexts. What was sad was that all the programs are receiving funding from their governments except Chile and Liberia. However, for Liberia, early childhood education home visiting program is included in the Ministry of Education Section Plan.

Preparation for FLI/HIPPY Year Ten

     FLI in its tenth year of implementation, is continuing to work in the same five communities, but has expanded to new neighborhoods. FLI will be working with 245 families with 245 children ages 3 to 5. The total direct beneficiaries for year ten are 490 parents and children. Activities completed in preparation for year ten work in the communities include:

1. Verification of 133 families that participated in FLI year nine as first and second year participants that will be participating this year as second- and third-year participants.
2. Recruited 112 new families with 112 children (age 3) to participate as Year 1 families. These families will be studying the year one curriculum of the program.
3. Recruited 100 Adult Learners (46 are FLI families that are illiterate and 54 are community members that have enrolled to improve their literacy skills).
4. The Bracken School Readiness Assessment was administered to the 112 new children to be used as a baseline before home instructions.

FLI Staff

     The FLI program activities for year ten will be implemented by 36 trained staff that include 3 coordinators, 5 supervisors/home visitors, 21 home visitors, 6 adult literacy teachers and a material production person. For a better educated workforce, six home visitors and two ALP teachers are enrolled in college studying for their bachelor’s degree in early childhood and primary education.

Commendation

     WE-CARE Foundation, Friends of Liberia, HIPPY International and all the families that are participating in the Family Literacy Initiative program, would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to all the contributors. Your donations are helping to improve lives by making a parent and child become literate and prepare for school and in the long-term contributors to national development. You are giving a brighter future to families in Liberia.