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•   Over 200,000 people were killed in the two civil wars. Hundreds of thousands more were displaced primarily in Ghana (Buduburam Refugee Camp) and Guinea


•  The unemployment rate of Liberia is 85%, second highest in Africa

•  Liberia was once called 'Freedom of Africa'

VAAFD: A Sustainable Answer to Liberia's Future

“The civil war did such a level of destruction due to illiteracy. Therefore, for no such occurrence to happen again, there is a need for an educational crusade in Liberia.”

- Karrus Hayes, Founder and Director of the Carolyn A. Miller School

Vision Awake Africa for Development is a non-profit organization based at the Buduburam Refugee Settlement outside Accra, Ghana. VAAFD was founded in 2005 by Liberian refugees in Ghana with the purpose of bettering the lives of Liberians in both Ghana and Liberia. Its first project and biggest institution are the Carolyn A. Miller Schools which provides free education to over 750 children, many of whom are unaccompanied and orphaned minors. Its current programs are overseen by VAAFD's Board of Directors and administered and supported by Liberian refugees as well as international volunteers, donor and partner organizations.

VAAFD Educational Provision

There are currently two schools in operation providing free education to Liberian children: one at the Buduburam settlement in Ghana, and the second in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. Within the last decade, over 5,000 children who would otherwise have remained outside of the school system have graduated with their basic school certificates, and the chance to build a future. Students have also benefitted from the organization's other programs such as the Youth Empowerment and Scholarship Program, and the Free Feeding Program which provide students and staff with at least one nourishing meal per day.

The project's success has enabled it to extend educational provision up to high school. A community college for adults also teaches adult literacy, and empowers those with gaps in their education due to their displacement as a result of the Liberian civil war.

URGENT CALL FOR DONATIONS

In order for the VAAFD projects to continue to help repatriate and educate victims of the civil war, it urgently requires donations so it can achieve the following:

• Build a permanent residence for the Monrovia school
• Keep up with repair and maintenance costs
• Purchase a school bus so it can extend provision to isolated children
• Provide a living wage to the dedicated teachers and staff so that they can support themselves and their families
• Offer quality learning resources to students such as lab equipment, IT technology, and up to date text books

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