Your 2025 Year-End Review - you helped Liberian youth realize their dreams!

Written By Heather Cannon

Thank you for your continued generosity in 2025! By supporting Liberian youth, you helped them learn valuable trade skills and discover their worth. This past year, we faced new challenges, and our team quickly adapted to meet them. We also rolled up our sleeves and began strategic planning to set the course for the next three to five years. The 2025 year-end review will recap the year and build on our goals for 2026.

Clockwise from top left: Catering students baking donuts, cosmetology students practicing protective styles such as hair weaves, event decoration students creating wall art using plastic spoons, and an electrician student installing wiring for a light fixture

Looking back on 2025, we encountered recruitment obstacles, as many young people preferred quick money by driving a motorcycle taxi. This occupation is not scalable or safe, but we understand the need for financial security. One of the items that sets us apart from other schools is our flexible scheduling. Each new term, the annual class schedule is determined by the students and their instructor. This helped us negotiate with some potential students who were apprehensive about learning a trade. They, in turn, could carve out time for classes and driving their motorcycle to earn income.

While our enrollment numbers are lower post-pandemic, our instructors continue to provide hands-on experience that allows students to start earning while learning. Another distinguishing feature that sets us apart from our peers is our vocational training for UDS junior and senior high students. They also see the fruits of their labor and know skills open more doors for self-sufficiency than a high school diploma or college degree.

The 2025-2026 academic year welcomed our first 12th-grade class. Their class motto is “constellation of stars.” Furthermore, many of our 12th graders are in the vocational training program. So, when they graduate this year, they will receive two diplomas. Jennes Mulbah, a high school senior, illustrates this below in her Facebook post from January 16, 2026.

Now, let’s celebrate your efforts that helped Liberian Youth in 2025.

As we move forward into 2026, we will finalize our strategic plan. It includes changes to our mission and vision statements and sets goals for the next three to five years. Two items of focus will be the completion of our new center in Brewerville, Liberia, and modernizing our training courses to attract and prepare students with the skills they need to succeed.

Revenue

Your efforts raised $96,453.80 for Liberian Youth. We increased our Star Champions (Monthly Donors) to nine (9), donating $10 to $175 a month. Additionally, we received our first legacy gift of $76,604.85 in October, representing 79% of donations. Here is the breakdown:

  • 96.9% came from businesses and individuals, including the above-mentioned legacy donation and retirement accounts’ RMDs (required minimum distributions).

  • 1.7% received from corporate (includes employer matches) and foundation grants.

  • 1.4% earned income from a high-yield savings account and an inherited IRA account.

UDS 2025 Revenue breakdown from donors, grants, and earned income.

Expenses

Uniting Distant Stars allocated $17,174.69 to the programs and projects listed below. We carried over $7,381 from 2024 donations.

  • You helped buy refreshed learning materials and other needs for the vocational training students with $4,990.00 (29%).

  • Over 12 donors sponsored 40 UDS Academic Students of the Ishmael Gabbidon Scholarship to learn trade skills, 5,090.00 (30%).

  • Two sponsors supported four academic students with 2025-2026 scholarships, $1,400 (8%), enrolled at the UDS Academy and other schools.

  • Capital renovation project to rebuild the fence and one classroom wall at $1,705 (10%), along with cash and material donations (valued at $250) from the community.

  • Administrative costs totaled $3,989.69 (23%), which included $1,000 for the strategic plan consultant. Heather Cannon, UDS Executive Director, donated that amount to cover the cost. 

UDS 2025 Expenses allocated to the learning environment, student scholarships and sponsorships, capital projects, and administration.

Assets

As we close the books for 2025, our current assets total $110,094.18, of which 13% is allocated for programs, 7% for capital projects, including the new center construction and refresh of learning materials, 78% are unrestricted funds for operational and program needs, and 2% are set aside for reserves. The allocation of unrestricted funds will be determined with our strategic plan. 

UDS 2025 Assets allocated to programs, capital projects, unrestricted funds, and reserves.

Donors

Thank you so much to all our supporters for your continued commitment to Liberian students receiving quality education! (*** represents Star Champions (Monthly Donors)).

UDS Students giving a pedicure.

UDS Electrician Student installing a receptacle (outlet).

UDS completed fence and classroom (right) renovation with a volunteer painting the new logo.

Board Members, Volunteers & Staff

Thank you to our US and Liberian Teams! Our leaders, staff, teachers, and instructors in Liberia ensure that students receive the valuable education and training they deserve.

UDS USA Board and Volunteer Team

UDS Liberian Administrator Team

UDS Liberian Instructors and Teachers

Heather Cannon
Previous

Maintained OUR Candid Gold Seal of Transparency FOR 2026
Next

A time to celebrate the holidays with staff and students