Family Literacy Initiative (FLI) in Liberia

     The Family Literacy Initiative program implementation at the community level (home school) made possible through the partnership of WE-CARE Foundation, Friends of Liberia and HIPPY International, continues to operate in the same four low-income communities of Duazon, Neezoe, Caldwell and WestPoint but with a 10% (from 180 to 195) increase in the number of families in year six 2021. FLI aim remains to give parents the tools (lesson) skills (activity) and confidence (assurance) to become their children first teachers in every aspect of their children lives and, increasing the literacy rate of family is an integral part of the process. FLI year six started its official implementation in early March and in May with its regular home visitations and interactions with the families.

     Year Six of the Family Literacy Program(FLI) began with two hundred families. Now at week thirty there are 187 children still in the program and 145 families that are on track for completing the program. There are forty-two families that are delayed—meaning they haven’t completed the lessons for all 30 weeks. Christmas week will be used to bring the delayed families up to date. Year Six graduation will take place at the end of January in the four communities where FLI operates.

     Friends of Liberia received a grant of $5,000 from the Rotary Club of Indianapolis in October to be used for printing of books. The total printing cost is $15,000. This grant money, plus $10,000 from Friends of Liberia, has been sent to the WE-CARE Foundation to begin and complete the printing of books for the next year.

     FLI participating parents and other caregivers with low literacy skills, have expressed interest in improving their reading, writing, numeracy and communication skills to strengthen their ability to become their children’s first teacher at home. Based on these recommendations, the partners decided to support the parents’ quest of strengthening their literacy skills by adding the Adult Literacy Program(ALP) to FLI: the pilot of the FLI program was held in Caldwell and West Point in Montserrado County and in Duazon, Margibi County, while FLI/ALP was successfully piloted in Caldwell and Duazon in 2018-2019 respectively.

      Today, ALP learners have moved to the next levels using the experience from the successes of the pilot year of the Family Literacy Initiative Adult Literacy Program (FLI/ALP), and now runs Levels One and Two with additional communities in Montserrado: Caldwell in Montserrado and Duazon in Margibi Counties are old communities that will have Levels One and Two, while Neezoe in Montserrado County and Peter’s Town(next year) in Bong Counties are two new communities. The two new communities are ALP Level One communities.

      FLI/ALP year two Level-1 classes started on August 18, 2021 in three project communities in Montserrado and Margibi Counties (Caldwell, Neezoe in Montserrado County and Duazon, Margibi County). While there has been great participation, there have been attendance issues, as well as low participation from FLI parents. The program was designed to help FLI parents improve their literacy skills in order to work better with their children. The partners in the program, WE-CARE, Friends of Liberia, and HIPPY International are working closely with the ALP Coordinator and WE-CARE staff to address these issues.

      As Year Six of the Family Literacy Initiative winds down, Year Seven winds up. WE-CARE Foundation has been notified of a grant to continue the program in 2022 and add an additional community. This is a testimony to the incredible work they are doing to build literacy in Liberia.

Your support of our Family Literacy Initiative program is very much appreciated. All dollars raised go directly to supporting this work in Liberia. Thank you!