Monrovia – Kindergarten and elementary schoolkids at The New Dimension of Hope School near the Fendell Campus of the University of Liberia will not be graduating this year. Authorities woke up Sunday morning to find the school looted beyond hope.
“There is nothing left of their school nor their homes. You destroyed a free school built for the world poorest children? This doesn’t make sense!! This is a human right issue” – Rosana Schaack, Executive Director, Think Liberia
The US$25,000 recently-constructed modern elementary school located in Troyah Town, Bensonville is located in a small town 25 to 30 miles from Monrovia. It was trumpeted as a signal of hope for residents in a small community lacking education opportunity when it was dedicated in January 2014.
“It was looted. They took all the doors, zinc, documents and everything, says John M. Sumoiwuo, the school’s principal, who explained that looters raided his office and made away with books and other reading and learning materials for the school.
“People went there and uprooted the building claiming that it was a government property without giving us any notice, Sumoiwuo told FrontPageAfrica Monday.
Asked whether there were any contentions prior to the school’s construction over the property, Mr. Sumoiwuo said the residents in the area had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University prior to the construction.
Mr. Ebenezer Norman, the founder of New Dimension of Hope in Denver Colorado, which has been spearheading fundraising and shipping materials for the school, said he was shocked to learn what had happened.
“We were even looking to expand the school, but we are shocked that the school got looted. Only people who do not have heart will do such a thing”.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica via phone from Colorado Monday, Mr. Norman said he received news of the looting incident at about 6:30 PM Sunday.
“I received a call from the Principal of Troyah Town School, that the school building had been de-roofed and looted by some unknown people. I asked him if he had any idea why they had done so, and he said that the town had received a letter from the University of Liberia authorities in collaboration with the government that Troyah Town was within the boundaries of the university property.”
Norman, whose organization has been building schools for the world’s poorest kids and help attack social justice issues especially for women and children, lamented that the demolishing machine had not reached to Troyah Town yet but the people of the town went ahead to save their zinc and belongings before the machine got there to destroy everything.
He lamented that all the zinc, wood from the roof, doors, furniture, books and instructional materials had been looted and the school is to be demolished this week.
Rosana Schaack, the Executive Director of THINK, Inc, who toured the demolished facility Monday, said she was in shock and disbelief.
“The entire vicinity of Fendell campus up to Troyah Town had been demolished. It is raining now as we are in the rainy season and people were uprooted from their homes putting them at risk of exposure and displacement. I found other victims of the destruction looking around at what was left along with only two women, residents of Troyah Town, that I knew”, she said.
Schaack explained that she spoke with Rachel Massaquoi, Kindergarten Teacher and Ma Miatta, one of the mothers and wife of one of the Elders of the town, who were devastated that they themselves were busy trying to save their materials when outsiders came on motorbikes and pickup trucks and looted the zinc from the school building (entire roof), doors and all furniture.
“When they got word that people were at the school, there was nothing left for them to save. They spent the night in an abandoned building last night with their children.
Teacher Rachel told me that up to yesterday, the children were all excited about their upcoming graduation from Kindergarten that they were practicing for.
Now, there is nothing left of their school nor their homes. You destroyed a free school built for the world poorest children? This doesn’t make sense!! This is a human right issue.”