Paynesville – Nancy T. Paye, 64, proudly joined the queue of several other students to take the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) on Monday, August 17.
She had to first receive learning and COVID-19 preventive materials, which were being distributed by HAES International, before going in the test hall to write the exams.
HAES International or Health. Agriculture, Environment and Sustainability, is an organization run by some young Liberians.
For 64-year-old Nancy and many other students at the Morris’ Farm Public School in Paynesville, the provision of these items will help keep them safe while taking the regional exams.
She proudly told FrontPageAfrica that such a “meaningful gesture” from an organization of young folks must be appreciated because it reminds her of how the little help she has been receiving over the years had enabled her to challenge the odds and go back to school. Now, she is optimistic of completing secondary education.
“I must thank HAES International for coming to help someone like me and the rest of the students with safety materials. Even the money they gave me today shows that I must do more,” she said.
Ma-Nancy, as she is popularly called by her senior class colleagues, said her desire to complete secondary education and even move further was based on “disadvantaged and humiliating” experience she endured in her past relationship.
According to her, her ex-partner usually threw jibes at her, referring to her as an “illiterate woman” and paid less attention to her. She lamented that she was constrained to later abandon the relationship.
“The man said I did not know book, so he left me and that made me angry. I said to myself, ‘I will go and learn the same way he learned,” she said.
‘When I was small, I stopped in third grade, but I was around 50 years when I decided to go back, so I started from Kindergarten again.”
Ma-Nancy intents to forward her education at a theological college and has sent an appeal to HAES International and other goodwill individuals in and outside Liberia to help her foster her education.
HAES International Founder Fayiah Bouquet has agreed to help Ma-Nancy who still appears eager to learn.
Mr. Bouquet added that HAES International is looking in several other directions to help make Liberia’s “Health, Agricultural, Educational and Sustainably” Friendly.
Bouquet said the distribution of nose masks and learning materials to students taking the WASSCE Exam is a start of several projects the organization will embark upon.
“The project is called ‘Mask for every student’, which will help keep students taking WASSCE Exam safe,” Bouquet said.
He disclosed that HAES International is expected to launch a Science Academic Competition at various high schools across Liberia.
For her part, HAES International Co-Founder and Country Director, Ruphena T. Miller, cautioned students to follow all the COVID-19 preventive measures. The students were given nose mask, books, and pencils as well as other COVID-19 preventive materials.
According to Madam Miller, the benefiting schools are Morris’ Farm Public School, St. Kizito Catholic School, Soul Clinic Public School, Pipeline Junior and Senior High School, Mt. Barclay Christian Academy, and the Olemeri Tinedy Public School in Mount. Barclay.
She, however, stressed the importance of high school students continuing to promote hygienic practices in their environments to remain safe.