Project Name: ySTEM—Learning Project

Service Locations: Quardu Gboni District, Lofa County, Republic of Liberia

Fundraising Target: $10,000  

Bank Account: ZELLE/CASHAP account at: 314-276-8311

 

BACKGROUND

In March 2018, President George Weah requested 6,000 teachers from Nigeria in order to address the demand for qualified teachers in Liberia. Despite the outcomes of that request, the severity of shortage for qualified teachers throughout Liberia remains stark, especially in the rural areas. This shortage is dramatically acute when it comes to qualified teachers in STEM subjects.

 

Quardu Gboni District (QGD) is located in northern Liberia boarding the Republic of Guinea with more than 40,000 inhabitants without a single high school. The three largest towns comprising Barkedu, Sarkonnedu and Tusu only have elementary thru middle schools and are severely lacking qualified STEM teachers. Most of the smaller towns do not have paid teachers and virtually all of the teachers in the District are volunteering in their spare time. Furthermore, this District is among the poorest regions in Liberia, where most people live on less than $1 a day out of manual labor on small farms(LIBERIA: One million school children live in poverty : The Liberian Dialogue. Due to such extreme poverty, an estimated 4,986 children cannot attend school because their parents can’t afford the high cost of schooling. In general, there are severe shortages for trained teachers especially in STEM subjects and the Liberian Government does not have the capacity to address the challenges.

 

GOAL 

Initially our plan is to train 15 teachers in STEM subjects and deploy them throughout the District. We will start with the existing volunteer teachers with or without STEM background, give them stipend while they acquire government required certifications, then guarantee them a minimum stipend if they continue to teach in the selected schools for at least one year or until the government or other entities start paying their salaries on permanent bases.

 

We will focus on increasing the number of teachers with STEM background for K1-12 in the three largest towns that includes Barkedu, Sarkonnedu and Tusu and then gradually expand to other towns in the rural areas of Lofa County and other parts of the country as donation increases. We are appealing to philanthropists and organizations to support this initiative because the world needs a more knowledgeable workforce than ever, and we want to help the next generation get ready.

 

PARTNERSHIPS 

The lead partner is ySTEM, Inc. (Youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), a non-profit organization founded by Mr. Vamadu Sheriff and partners based in St. Louis, Missouri-USA. We are committed to investing our expertise and resources to help narrower the education gap especially in STEM. We utilize our ability to mobilize social, political and economic resources with an intentional commitment to hard work and collaborations that yield a greater and sustainable economic future for all. Our other partners include the I-Help Liberia Project, residents and citizens of QGD in Liberia and the diaspora as well as philanthropic individuals and organizations worldwide.

 

OUTCOMES

Everyone wins, the funders get the bigger bang for their buck! With a starting budget of $10,000 budget, 15 teachers will acquire national level teaching certificates, receive a minimum of $50 per month while teaching at one of the selected schools for at least one year. The children will remain in school while receiving quality education that prepares them for better future.

 

For further information, please contact Vamadu Sheriff, President/CEO. Tel: 314-276-8311, email: vamadu.sheriff@gmail.com. We look forward to your generous support and thank you in advance.