by heather-cstars | Aug 13, 2018 | Africa, Catering Course, Computer Course, Cosmetology Course, education, Electrician Course, entepreneurship, fundraiser, Hotel Management Course, Jackson George Jr., Leaders, Leadership, Liberia, Minnesota Liberian Consulate, NGO, Plumbing Course, Skills training, Star Potential, Star Supporter, Stars, Tailoring Course, Thank You, Uniting Distant Stars, vocational training, youth development, Youth Empowerment
When you invest in young people of any nation, you are developing the leaders of tomorrow. Your continued support provides leadership development with our youth. In July, the students elected their student council from a field of interested candidates. They planned an installment program for their new leaders and to celebrate their accomplishments in their given courses.
As they were planning their program, Jackson George (Consul General of the Minnesota Liberian Consulate) contacted us about visiting our center during his trip to Liberia. The original plan was to have him visit on July 30, but this became a holiday for the senatorial election, so the students decided to invite him to their program so he could endorse their leadership and be their guest speaker.
Jackson enjoyed being part of this program and meeting our students. When asked in an email if he had anything to share about his visit he responded, “I just want people to know about the great work you are doing to help the people of Liberia. It was a learning and exciting process for me.” Everyone is very grateful to Jackson for making this a successful and memorable program.
The program started with the students from the various courses showcasing what they have learned during the first third of their term.
Your students showcasing what they have learned (left to right, top to bottom): Catering, Computer, Cosmetology, Electrician, Plumbing, and Tailoring students
Next, Jackson shared motivational words with the students about the benefits of learning a trade and also how to use social media to share what they are learning and to connect with people.
Jackson George, Consul General of Minnesota Liberian Consulate, inspiring UDS students to achieve their goals and make a difference
Jackson followed his talk by endorsing our new Student Council who will be serving until they graduate next year.
Congrats to the 2018/2019 Uniting Distant Stars Student Council!
New Student Council (left to right): Teddy Jr, Ngayenga (President), Caraton M. Mahn (Vice President), Sylvester T. Yeah Jr (Secretary-general), Emmanuel L. Tarr (Financially secretary), Abraham C. Morgan (advisor), Zawida Gaylee (Treasurer), & Aujustine Kouadio (Chaplain)
by heather-cstars | Jul 30, 2018 | Africa, education, Electrician Course, fundraiser, Liberia, Scholarships, Solar Panels, Solar Power, Thank You, Uniting Distant Stars, vocational training, youth development, Youth Empowerment
One of our greatest challenges in Liberia is reliable electricity. We are connected to a grid in our community, but the main transformer has had several power outages and surges that force us to use our backup generator. This increases our monthly electricity expenses and damaged some of our equipment.
In January 2018, we visited one of our supporters at Maddy and Harri Wegner’s farm in Carver, Minnesota. Harri installed 150 solar panels and this supports his farming operation. Our Liberian team–Kelvin Fomba, Dominic Siafa, and Dauda Dassin joined via Google Hangout. His solar panels are part of the grid, and he sells solar energy to the electrical company. He shared his knowledge about solar and how it is better to be on a grid instead of a battery pack because the latter loses more energy. He mentioned that micro-grids could be an option to take advantage of more efficient energy use.
Heather Cannon with Harri as he explained the solar panel installation
On June 22, we held our strategic planning meeting, and solar became our number one priority. Our goal is not only to install solar panels at our center in Liberia but also to certify and train our electrician students and recent graduates to be technicians in this renewable energy field. If you having any contacts working with solar panels, please connect them with us. Thank you!
Become a Classroom Hero and DONATE today to support the vocational training of Liberia Youth!
by heather-cstars | Jul 30, 2018 | education, Electrician Course, electricity course, fundraiser, Liberia, Thank You, Uniting Distant Stars, vocational training, youth development, Youth Empowerment
Do you ever wonder what it is like to go days, weeks, or months without electricity? We flip the switch multiple times a day and don’t think twice about how much electricity improves our lives. It provides the necessary light to read books, work on homework assignments, entertain friends after the sun sets, and so much more.
According to the International Energy Agency Database, more people over the last two decades have gained access to electricity, especially in China and India. On the other hand, there are still over a billion people without electricity, primarily in Sub-Sahara Africa. In some cases, like in Liberia, the electricity is unreliable so people either go without or rely on expensive, noisy, and air-polluting generators.
Our students see the value of this trade in improving the lives of the people around them. They come to class each day ready to put their skills to work in our lab. Their instructor, Dominic Siafa, and teacher’s aide (TA), Boakai Dillion (2018 Graduate), find contacts to take the students out in the field. This gives them a chance to have real experience and gain the confidence needed to succeed in this field.
The students you support are eager to learn and apply their skills!
Dominic (instructor) is dealing with an ongoing health issue this year. He recommended Boakai to be his teacher’s assistant because he not only understands the craft of an electrician but also possesses a natural talent to teach. Dominic gives Boakai directions with the weekly curriculum and any other support. His mentorship is paying off because Boakai is building up his profession as an electrician and gives our students an example of what they can strive for.
You helped build this lab in 2017 and the students love it!
As you can see, your generosity is providing the necessary resources for our students to apply their skills during each class. This prepares them to hit the ground running when they graduate. Thank you for being their Classroom Hero!
