Liberia started re-opening schools for students in June. The seniors first came back in June and completed in August. Then the government implemented a staggered system for the rest of the students. For instance, different grade levels attend different time frames to promote social distancing.
To summarize, the Infographic below provides the timeline for the remainder of this year. It shows how each group will complete the 2019/2020 academic year. Also, it gives the date when the new year starts. Thanks for supporting your academic students!
You know your giving matters when a recipient pays it forward. During the early part of August, we started making masks for students. One of your graduates, Annita Johnney along with her instructor, Jerry Paypay, made over 500 masks. In fact, they used Kelvin Fomba’s (Liberian Co-Founder & Director) design he developed back in May.
Additionally, the funds used for this project were part of an employer matching gift. During our COVID-19 fundraiser, a $250 donation turned into a $500 matching gift. When the $500 arrived in late July, we immediately applied it to this project.
Finally, these photos show how your generosity inspired Annita to give back. The academic students started wearing theirs in August. We hope the vocational students will wear theirs later this month. Thank you for helping a graduate Pay it forward!
As we prepare for the start of the fourth vocational training cohort, you can help motivate them by donating to our annual campaign in providing the learning equipment, materials, and supplies they need to learn a valuable trade. We invite you to give either a one-time gift or become a monthly donor. Click either button below and donate at least $10 to support their learning journey.
On Saturday, August 1, 2020, 60 vocational training graduates arrived to receive their diplomas. Two others showed up that day to check-in and received their diplomas later in the week. Since the schools closed in March, some students left the city to spend time with their families in the interior. So, we could see additional graduates in the coming weeks or months.
During the months of June and July, students came to the center to take a photo in a cap and gown for their diplomas. We took these photos and arranged them their respective courses as shown below. Please join us in congratulating the 2019/2020 graduates in receiving their diplomas!
Our heartfelt THANKS for being part of their year-long learning journey! Your kindness and support helped them achieve this important milestone of graduating.
How are you today? We hope you found ways to adapt to the new normal as we move forward with 2020. It seems like things change daily and we learn to adjust as needed. Again, your dedication to Liberian Youth allows UDS to be agile during these trying times. Thank you again for including UDS in your charitable giving!
In Liberia, they are trying to balance managing the cases as they increase with removing some of the restrictions. Let’s look at the current numbers for COVID-19 as August 9: 1,234confirmed cases, 79 people who have died, 714 people recovered, and 267 cases per million people. Again, testing is limited, so these numbers might not reflect reality.
The Government of Liberia announced that the 6th to 11th graders will return on August 10 to resume the 2019/2020 school year. The year will end in December. There is no return of the preschoolers to 5th graders. All schools are waiting on any guidance if we can promote them from what they accomplished during the time they attended. Therefore, the academic year will start either end of December or early January.
Also, universities and vocational training schools are reopening. We have a tentative date of September 15 to start our fourth vocational training cohort. Currently, our tailoring instructor and graduates are making masks for the 6th and 7th graders and the new vocational training students. Additionally, We will be adding extra handwashing stations and taking their temperatures before entering the center. Keeping all students safe is our number priority.