Friends of Liberia
Hands Across The Water
School to School Connection
Hands Across
the Water (HAW) is a project whose mission is to create hope for children
in war-torn Liberia by rebuilding educational resources. Unfortunately,
years of violence has devastated the educational system as well as the
lives of many Liberian children. HAW was designed to provide the non-profit
organization of Friends of Liberia (FOL) with support for Liberian teachers
trained through the FOL Liberian Education Assistance Project (LEAP).
The vision of HAW is for children to live in a 
world
of peace, supporting each other through compassion, communication and
action.
The project has been operating since 2001, when school-to-school connections were made between several schools in Pleasanton, California and one LEAP-trained school in Johnsonville, Liberia. E-mail communications were established through Johnsonville principal, Ernest Shaw, who is the director of LEAP in Liberia. Lacking electricity, Principal Shaw took a taxi to Monrovia these past years and typed his students’ communications at an Internet café directing them to one of several teachers.
Before the war ended last year, Liberian students wrote: “We do not have electricity. Some of us use candles, some lanterns, and most of us use homemade lanterns (made of old tin cans with a string for a wick and we use either kerosene or fuel oil).” “We want to let you know that WAR is not good. It has a very bad impact on our lives. Some of our peers have been forced to carry arms and do all kinds of things. DO NOT ever wish for war in your country.”
For the past
three school years, students from Pleasanton Unified School District worked
with their teachers, parents and community organizations 
to
raise resources to send to FOL. The students successfully exchanged letters,
artwork, and emails, culminating in the production of two beautiful quilts
that blended the artwork of African and American students. Through student
and community efforts in 2003-2004, HAW was able to provide classroom
supplies and enough funds to allow Principal Shaw to purchase a generator,
computer and wiring to provide electricity to the school in Johnsonville,
thus benefiting several villages in the area.
How
Can You Help Liberian Children Get An Education?
HAW invites individuals, teachers, community or church groups and businesses
to help create hope for Liberian children by rebuilding educational resources
with other FOL-trained Liberian teachers. As a way of connecting youth
to this project, your group might wish to ship some gently used elementary
level books and have children write a message of hope inside to the Liberian
child who receives it.
Financial
contributions made out to FOL/HAW will be available to support FOL-trained
Liberian teachers and their students. Checks can be mailed to Friends
of Liberia, 4300 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20011. Financial contributions
will allow teachers to get their students books to read, furniture, school
supplies and other educational resources.
If you or your organization prefers to direct your support to one school,
please contact HAW contact Sharon (Mosher) Tangney by emailing her at kttjsharon@comcast.net or
calling (925) 462-0739 to find out how to do this.