Monrovia – The Kids Educational Engagement Project (KEEP) on May 14 made good on a promise to support the new Life Academy with the completion of a Resource Center for its tuition free school.
“Education begins in the home; from the home it goes to the community before it comes into the classroom. We need to work together to ensure that our children are educated and get the best of education “- Romelle Horton, Deputy Minister of Education
The resource center composes of a reading room that targets the early learners in the school and also a computer lab with 10 desktop computers.
Romelle Horton, Deputy Minister of Education in remarks said the education of Liberian children starts at the community level.”
Education begins in the home; from the home it goes to the community before it comes into the classroom. We need to work together to ensure that our children are educated and get the best of education. “
The Deputy Minster continued: “To do that, we all have to come together, from the home, teaching the children what they need to learn at home before even bringing them into the classroom.
The foundation of this country comes from the learning that we did from childhood and early learning foundation is key and this is what is being done here.”
The Education official commended Mrs. Brenda Brewer Moore, Founder & Executive Director of KEEP for the work that is being done and her vision for the community and urged the community to use the facility wisely.
“The reading and computer room is for you to use for your children. Make sure you make them use it.”
Also making remarks, at the turning over ceremony, Assistant Minister Yukiko Amnon heralded the initiative as a boost for early childhood development.
“These are the kind of initiatives that the Ministry encourages and supports KEEP for its initiative; particularly as the reading room is child friendly and forces on Early Childhood development.”
KEEP Board Chair, Mrs. Chantal Doe said it is important to catch the children when they are young and encouraged parents to read to their kids.
“Even if it is just a few minutes daily it is very important as it makes the children become interested in reading.”
Mrs. Doe praised the partners of KEEP for their support. “What you have done here will reach out to many children across this community and not just the school.” She thanked the New Life Academy for the support also in making the share vision a reality.
In remarks also, the Founder & Executive Director of KEEP Mrs. Brewer-Moore highlighted the support received from many people in making this first resource center in the community a reality.
Mrs. Brewer-Moore said that reading is a foundation of education and that over the years she has come to realize that a lot of children in the country do not read very well and fluently.
Thus, she sees the reading room as a way to encourage the children to read, for the teachers to encourage the children to read and even the parents to make time to come and read to some of the students at the school.
The KEEP executive paid homage to the many donors who helped make the project a success like PricewaterhouseCoopers, International Bank, FrontPage Africa, Liberia Telecommunications Authority, Card Europe and Fair, etc., she also thanked personal donors like Minister Axel Addy, Dunia Wahid, Emery Dennis, Hon. Bako Freeman, Cammepa Productions, Caroline Bowah, Lawrence Morris, to name a few.
The computer resource center contains 10 computers which will be available to provide free computer literacy trainings to the teachers, students and other kids from the community as well as teach the children how to research online to help their studies.
The Resource Center has been named in memory of Dr. Michelle Tooley, a supporter of KEEP who donated the initial cash to start the project and later passed away after a battle with cancer.
KEEP is a local non-profit organization that supports educational activities in Liberia and is currently working in Montserrado, Gbarpolu and Grand Gedeh counties. You can read more about their work on www.keeplib.org or www.keepliberia.wordpress.com. If you would like to support their work, please call 0886510731