Reliable and uninterrupted electricity improves the quality of education for students at our training center. On June 12, Taleance T Tokpah (the owner of T & T Solar Tech) spent the day teaching 18 electrician students about solar power and giving them real experience with installing it. Please read the caption of each photo to know what they experienced and gained from this opportunity.
Your Electrician Students arrive at the center to learn about solar power.
Your electrician students beaming with excitement on learning about solar power from Taleance T Tokpah (lower right).
Your students working together to put up the ladders for the solar panel installation.
Your student moves up the ladder as he carries the solar panel. The ladder protects the zinc roof.
Your students and Mr. Tokpah (Tech) working together to secure the solar panels.
Your students demonstrate their willingness to dive in with learning this valuable trade.
Your students, under Mr. Tokpah’s (Tech) supervision, wire the computer lab to connect with solar power.
Your students threading the wire through the pipe that will be part of the control area of the computer lab.
Mr. Tokpah (Tech) explaining on the controller works in supplying solar energy to the room.
Mr. Tokpah (Tech) explaining to our students how solar will power the computers in our lab.
Your student testing a computer that is now powered by solar!
As you can see, solar also powers our students in learning renewable energy with this practical experience with Taleance T Tokpah (the owner of T & T Solar Tech). Your generous support made this learning opportunity possible for your electrician students. Although the current economic situation caused us to miss our mark in achieving 100% renewable energy, we did connect half our computer lab. Thank you for being a Classroom Hero for Liberian Youth!
You are cordially invited to a fundraising event hosted by Beyan Gonowolo, UDS Board Member & Outreach Coordinator.
Theme: Education is Better than Silver & Gold Venue: Equinox Apartments Residence Lounge at 2808 Silver Ln, Saint Anthony, MN, 55421 Day & Time: Saturday, May 4, 2019, from 6 PM to 8 PM Location: St. Anthony, MN Details: Refreshments & snacks provided along with a short presentation about UDS programs in Liberia Note: Please bring a friend
This past January, the students enrolled in Uniting Distant Stars electrician program assisted in installing the first stage of the long-awaited solar panels of the learning center in Monrovia. With the assistance of Taleance T Tokpah (who was the vendor from T & T Solar Tech and a technician himself) guiding them along the way, our students were able to bring the learning center to a new level of independence where it will not rely as heavily on the city’s unreliable grid nor a diesel generator.
Your students working with Mr. Tokaph installing solar panels on our center’s roof
Generator
The number of times after hours, work was done in the dark became numerous due to power outages. The cost of diesel also meant the generator was left for class hours and emergency use. Having a kitchen, coursework in electrical work and a newly updated computer lab are nothing without the power to make them run. But now they have that power.
Future students will not only be able to easily learn how solar panels work but also how to install and maintain them. Besides the usual skills that have been taught in our electrician course, the hands-on solar panel experience will give our students an additional skill that will set them apart when they are seeking full-time employment upon graduation in a field that currently does not have as many people with expertise in the growing field of renewable energy.
The solar panels also now show how easy it is to provide clean, environmentally-friendly power that lights up and powers many of the essentials needed to run a place of learning that provides for over 150 students and staff. It does not cover all of our energy needs but is a perfect example of what can be done on a modest budget to help the environment in the long run if done on a larger scale.
Our computer lab’s lights are powered by solar.
As discussed previously, these solar panels were mostly the result of generous donors who attended the Shine a Light on Education fundraiser in Manhattan last October. Uniting Distant Stars was able to surpass the initial goal of $5,000 and unite more “Stars” in showing the importance of supporting trade skills to improve local communities on the other side of the world. Without them, and supporters like you, our many students, their families, and the communities they live in would not be able to shine to their brightest abilities.
With the beginning of this new year, Uniting Distant Stars is counting its blessings and does not plan to slow down on its progress of expanding programs and opportunities for students in Liberia. With your help, we can continue to expand the number of solar panels at the learning center and become 100% renewable and self-reliant.
You can help us reach our Phase 2 goal of $3,040 by joining two supporters who have already donated $1,025! Please donate today to complete our solar project. Thank you for Lighting Up the lives of Liberian Youth!
Our heartfelt Thanks to our long-standing supporter, Julie B. from Oklahoma! She gave a generous donation of $500 during our Give to the Max Day and selected to purchase two computers from our Become a Classroom Hero donation page.
Earlier this month (January 2019), we purchased two new used desktops for our computer training lab. As a result of Julie’s generosity, our computer lab continues to benefit the Liberian Youth taking our most popular course.
Thank you so much, Julie, for these two beautiful computers!
We greatly appreciate your support on Giving Tuesday! As a result, you raised $420 on Facebook. Despite our best efforts, we did not benefit from the matching funds from PayPal. In fact, the number of donations within seconds of event start time exhausted the funds.
To sum it up, every dollar of your donation goes towards the development of your students enrolled in one of our eight vocational training courses. Thank you for making a difference and changing the lives of Liberian Youth for the better!
Thank you to Tashie George of IfriMarketfor hosting and sponsoring a successful Dinner & Movie fundraiser on November 3. Thank you to our Classroom Heroes who raised $635 to support Liberian Youth in our training courses. Thank you to Taste of Africa for the second (or third) helpings of delicious food. And thank you to the cast and crew of the Out of My Hand movie!
Taste of Africa catered the food for this event which included cornbread, Jollof Rice, potato salad, hot pepper soup, and more. Photo by Boyd Morson
About 20 people gathered that day. They learned more about Uniting Distant Stars and how we are helping Liberia’s young men and women gain independence with trade careers. They networked with each other. They ate Jollof Rice, potato salad, corn bread, and much more (food table photo take by Boyd Morson). And they sat back and enjoyed an entertaining movie.
UDS U.S. Co-Founder & Executive Director sharing information about our programs and the 75 graduated students of March 2018. Photo taken by Florkime Paye.
Tashie is committed to holding this event each year, and we are grateful for her continued support!
