By Davidetta Togba Cassell | Founder and Executive Director
Germinating Every Mind-Liberia (GEM-Liberia) and the Jennifer Albee Enrichment School extend their profound gratitude to GlobalGiving and all our donors for their continued support to the girls of Liberia. GEM- Liberia is please to forward its quarterly report. The periodic report is part of the GEM-Liberia's commitment to GlobalGiving and donors. This report covers from December 2021-February 14, 2022.
The fruits of the work we do with the girls are becoming clearer every day as the girls are greatly improving academically and technically. We are excited to share some highlights with you.
The school has completed two marking periods and given progress reports of students. The girls are improving in their studies, as most of those who could not write their own names, are now becoming honors students. Among such students is Irene of Grade 1. Last year, at the age of 10, Irene joined the Jennifer Albee Enrichment School from one of Liberia's most remote counties, Lofa County, in search of a better education. Irene could barely write or spell her own name when she arrived and did not pass her first year at the school due to her deficiency from attending a poorly furnished, unsupported, and neglected rural school. However, the scenario has changed. For Irene, one year was enough for her to catch up with some Monrovia girls. In our latest progress report, Irene ranked 1st place in her first-grade class.
Our new student-trainer for the tailoring department is 12-year-old Hannah of the grade 6 class. After a year in the program, Hannah has taken the lead in her department and is now serving as a teacher’s assistant to the tailoring instructor. Hannah is a model for her peers to easily find passion in what they do and commit more to their career. In other departments, student Deddeh is the new hairdresser and beautician, while students Patience, Weedor, and Eve of the catering department are now baking short breads, farina bread, corn bread, and wheat bread without guidance. We are super proud of the ladies they are becoming.
Another huge milestone for the school involves the plot of land GEM-Liberia purchased in 2020 as the future home of Jennifer Albee Enrichment School. A portion of the land was intended to conduct a low scale agriculture program to provide a meal to the students while at school because most of them go to school without breakfast or lunch. At the close of last year, GEM- Liberia successfully secured funding to cultivate the land through a United States Ambassador Special Self Help Grant. The harvesting of some of the cash crops of will start by the end of April. The nutrition program will encourage attendance and provide the children with at least two meal days per week, providing nutritious food including cucumbers, watermelon, carrots, corn, cabbage, cassava, peppers and okra.
On February 13, 2022, the Jennifer Albee Enrichment School had its first 2021/2022 Calendar Year Parent Teachers Association (PTA) meeting. Fifty-seven parents were in attendance. The PTA had its first interim leadership team set up for this new academic year with the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, and Chaplain. We are looking forward to working with the PTA and seeing what 2022 brings for the school.
GEM-Liberia extends its gratitude to the GlobalGiving family, through whose kind donations, has supported the initiatives of having a quality education for girls in Liberia. We are achieving our purpose gradually as the days unfold and we are hopeful for a bigger and brighter future.
By Davidetta Togba-Cassell | Founder and Executive Director
By Davidetta Togba-Cassell | Founder and Executive Director
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