Family Literacy Initiative (FLI) in Liberia

FAMILY LITERACY INTIATIVE PROGRAM REPORT

FOR MARCH AND APRIL, 2021

Liberia has joined the global community to deeply understand the early relationships and experiences that shape children’s foundation. This global movement promotes the importance of early interventions to enhance children’s holistic development that enable them to achieve their full potential. The importance of children’s earliest years in shaping their learning and development cannot be over emphasized. With the g lobal Corona Virus pandemic, never before has the need for parents and caregivers’ capacity development to enable them to teach their young children been more pressing.

The Family Literacy Initiative (FLI) program, a literacy home-based highly effective multi-generational early childhood program, interacts with families in four economic challenged communities in Liberia: WestPoint, Caldwell, Duazon and Neezoe. 85% of the families are headed by single mothers that are unemployed and make their living through petty trading. The program works with parents through home visits, giving them the skills, tools and confidence, they need to become their children first teacher. Moreover, it prepares children for success in school and life and also provides opportunity for empowerment, through employment of home visitors from the four communities.

FLI completed its fifth year with 180 families in four economic challenged communities in two of Liberia fifteen counties (Montserrado and Margibi). Over the five years of FLI implementation, 418 families with 420 children have participated in the program. Of this number, 153 children have graduated successfully from the three-year curriculum program and 125 children, representing 82% of the graduates, are enrolled in formal school. Due to poor economic condition faced by families, 28 of FLI graduates have not enroll in formal school. A family needs about US$150.00 (this amount includes school fees, uniform and books) to send a child to school for one academic year.

FLI has begun the implementation of year six with expansion in the same four communities: WestPoint, Caldwell, Duazon and Neezoe. The program recruited 78 new families with 80 out of school 3-years old children from the communities. The program will be working with a total of 197 families with 201 children in year six.

As a means of documenting and tracking the progress of the children learning outcomes while they are participating in the FLI program, a pre-assessment using the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) tool was administered to the 78 children recruited to set their baseline. The BSRA provides the overall school preparedness skills per individual child and age group.

To maintain the quality and standards of the program, annual refresher training is conducted for the home visitors. A five-day home visitors’ refresher training held March, 2021 for 21 home visitors focused on the program overall goal and the goals for the parents, children and home visitors. At the end of the training, the home visitors were able to articulate the goals and identify indicators on how they will know that they are meeting the goals of the parents and the program as a whole. The role play technique use to teach families during home visits was also practiced.

To prepare for the commencement of home visits to the 197 families and group meetings, the required number of books, shapes, instructional and learning materials were procured and the curriculum booklets for each family were produced.

The team is looking forward to an exciting and productive year six with their FLI families.

Thank you for your support making our work in Liberia possible. 

Links:

• WE-CARE Foundation
• Friends of Liberia