Give Liberian Children Healthcare, Education, HOPE

Dear Friend of Restore Hope: Liberia,

We are so grateful that you chose to help Liberian children through Restore Hope: Liberia.

We're excited to share our Annual Impact Report with you today, which shows HOW we put your generous contribution to use. Here are some highlights:

• Provided sexual and reproductive health education to 2,246 adolescents
• Coordinated referrals for 74 children needing clinical care
• Enrolled 85 children in school
• Awarded 18 college scholarships to aspiring professionals

What stands out to you in our latest report? We'd love to hear your feedback. Don't hesitate to email me directly at saundra@restorehopeliberia.org.

We know there are many excellent organizations out there and many worthy causes to support. Thank you for investing in the children of Liberia.

Warm regards,

Saundra

• RHL 2022 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT (PDF)
  

The start of a new year always brings hope and optimism for good things ahead.

There is much to look forward to this year with our work in Liberia. And, I want to thank you for joining us this past year. Together, we made meaningful impact in children’s lives in Liberia.

We had college students graduate nursing programs. All of our supported grade school students were in school and moving up in their classes. 

We were able to consistently monitor the health of the children in the program, ensuring continuity of care for those with chronic illness and to make timely referrals for those with malaria and other preventable but deadly illnesses.

We provided group therapy for mothers experiencing depression to ensure they can give their children the needed care and attention to thrive.

We invested in community-initiated income generating projects to support livelihoods for mother's who are working hard to provide opportunitites for their children.

Thank you for being a part of this work. 

Please reach out to me personally if you’d like to learn more. I’d be delighted to meet you and hear what brought you to this work and what you’re most interested in supporting.

Gratefully,

Saundra

saundra@restorehopeliberia.org

Dear Friends,

The summer was filled with activity as Restore Hope: Liberia's team was busy doing home visits for children, meeting with parents and caregivers, providing group therapy for mothers, and keeping the library open for children's use.

RHL held a celebration for the kids on July 26th, which is Liberia's Indepence Day. This year marks 175 years of independence. Indeed, Liberia was the first country on the African continent to gain its independece. We were delighted to see the children celebrate their heritage proudly and enthusiastically.

We are also so very proud of two college graduates, Anna Morris and Bezalee Aaron. Both students have been supported academically by RHL during their grade school years. They were both awarded college scholarships and attended Lofa County Community College. They have bright futures ahead!

To further support children's education, Restore Hope partnered with Books2Smiles to send some culturally appropriate early readers to the library in Kolahun. We have an expanding collection of school books and culturally relevant story books to cultivate the love and habit of reading in children and young people in and around Kolahun.

The school year is commencing and this year RHL is supporting 34 elementary students, 11 junior high students, 25 high schoolers, and 25 college students! Because even public schools in Liberia are not free, your donations are financing their education. Thank you for making this important investment in the future!

I look forward to sharing more good news with you throughout the year.

With much gratitude,

Saundra

We don't know exactly how or why you decided to invest in giving Liberian children healthcare, education and hope. Yet, we are eternally grateful.  

We thought you would want to hear what we have been up to within the past two months.  Here is a summary of activities surrounding our work in Liberia (March-April, 2022):

• There have been more than 30 home visits by a Health Coordinator
• Peer education reached 145 youth by 4 peer counselors at two schools and at the VET Center
• A sexual and health survey was done at all schools attended by peer health counselors to determine baseline pregnancy rates and track the impact of peer health messaging
• 15 disabled household members received cash disbursements and nutritional support
• A U.S.-based consultant traveled to Kolahun and assessed Restore Hope Liberia’s HR needs, program budget, program evaluation, and group therapy facilitation skills. This consultant drafted plans to meet our current target of 350 women reached, possible future scaling scenarios and assessing compatibility with funding criteria of major grant sources.
• 8 students graduated from high school
• Of the 16 college scholarship students, two are graduating and 6 new students have applied for scholarships thus far
• A U.S.-based donor purchased and shipped a Toyota 4-Runner vehicle, which arrived in Kolahun and is being put to use daily!

84% of Liberians live in extreme poverty and over 50% of the population is under the age of 18.  Providing healthcare and education to children is fundamental to overcoming poverty.  Disadvantaged children-orphaned, disabled, and chronically ill are more likely to escape poverty if they are healthy and educated.

Hope, then, lies in you. When you make a donation to Restore Hope as you have done, you are moving the mission forward. As you can see, your donation has been put to action. When you underwrite these efforts, you are giving children the childhood they deserve. You address the problems facing the children in Kolahun with long-term, sustainable solutions.

Thank you, again, for your support. The women of Liberia sing this song often, called "Life Can Change".  It is a song of triumph, and a song that is only sung when there is hope: https://vimeo.com/686825984

Sincerely,

Saundra Williams, Executive Director

Links:

• https://vimeo.com/686825984

As a supporter of Restore Hope, you give Liberian children healthcare, education and hope.

Here is how your support fueled our healthcare efforts in Liberia:

• A staff nurse continues to make quarterly home visits to the children in the program and distributes essential medicines as needed. 
• Hygiene materials have been distributed to all households to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases.
• Twelve active peer health counselors have been holding sessions monthly in schools, impacting 1,575 children this fiscal year
• Nutrition shifted from $20 monthly cash disbursements to households to investing in agriculture projects as a sustainability strategy. This shift is well received by the community and prospects for grant support are likely (versus no grant support for cash disbursements).

Here is how your support fueled education for children:

• 86 students enrolled in schools throughout the district. 96% of students passed their grades last year!
• The Restore Hope: Liberia Library has been renovated and a part-time Librarian from Kolahun has been employed to assist visitors.
• The scholarship program is ongoing. 17 of the 18 students are enrolled, 1 left school due to illness. 9 of the 18 were Restore Hope: Liberia beneficiaries, others are from the broader community.

84% of Liberians live in extreme poverty and over 50% of the population is under the age of 18.  Providing healthcare and education to children is fundamental to overcoming poverty.  Disadvantaged children-orphaned, disabled, chronically ill are more likely to escape poverty if they are healthy and educated.

Hope, then, lies in you. When you make a donation to Restore Hope as you have done, you are moving the mission forward. As you can see, your donation has been put to action. When you underwrite these efforts, you are giving children the childhood they deserve. You are addressing the problems facing the children in Kolahun with long-term, sustainable solutions.

Thank you, again, for your support. The more we work together, the happier will all shall be: The More We Are Together! - YouTube

Sincerely,

Saundra Williams, Executive Director