Nimba
Community College Project:
The recent civil war in Liberia lasted
for fourteen years and for fourteen years it was impossible for
Liberians of school age to attend school. Young Liberians were recruited
by either warring factions and trained as child soldiers. These young
Liberians who would normally graduate from rural schools and hopefully
attend Cuttington University College (CUC), University of Liberia (UL),
or Booker Washington Institute (BWI) and eventually gained employment
with government to support their families were forced to use their guns
to terrorize local populations.
The Liberian civil war also produced refugees
and internally displaced people. Most of the internally displaced people
are in Monrovia; the refugees are in camps in neighboring countries
including Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. With
stability now returning to Liberia there are plans to repatriate the
refugees.
We plan to establish Nimba Community College in
Ganta that will offer English as Second Language (ESL), Adult Basic
Education (ABE), High School Equivalency diplomas, and postsecondary
education in rural Liberia. The community college will provide an avenue
whereby ex-combatants and returning refugees who are too far behind
their cohorts can complete formal education and receive jobs skill
training.
Nimba Community College will provide Liberian
refugees and internally displaced people an incentive to return to the
rural communities from which most of them were displaced during the
civil war. Those who graduate from our programs will be given
credit/loan incentives to own and operate businesses that are
commensurate with their newly acquired skills. The loan will be repaid
at no interest. The community college will also create a data base of
appropriate and indigenous technologies for Liberia such as solar,
hydro, bio, medical, and other related industries. The college will also
offer Liberian students training in the basic principles of democracy.
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