LPE inspires rural school Kids

School kids at the J.J. Roberts Memorial United Methodist Elementary School in Siafa-keh Town, Garwulah District in Grand Cape Mount County, heard inspirational messages Monday, 30 December 2013, when a group called Liberia Project Education (LPE) visited them to distribute supplies.

LPE Co-founders, Madea Ethel Neyor, a daughter of former National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) president, Mr. Christopher Neyor, and Mr. Blake Brown, with his brother, Mr. Ryan Brown, distributed cartons of copybooks, book bags, pencils and sharpeners to the students. Other items included footballs, jerseys, volleyballs, generator, erasers, and cartons of reams of sheets, crayons and teachers’ plan books.

Former NOCAL president, Mr. Christopher Neyor, shared with the students his life experience as a kid who, like the students in Siafa-keh Town, walked three miles away from home to school in Johnsonville, Montserrado County, where he grew up.

“I came from the rural area, very poor background. And so God has a purpose for each and every one of us. God has a plan for you just as he did for me… going to school we had to walk three miles every day to school and three miles to come back. But don’t give up, because God has a plan for you,” he told the students.

He urged the students to use the items with care for their educational benefit, saying the country, their community and the world will benefit if they become educated.

Giving a practical example of himself to highlight the importance of impacting others’ lives, Mr. Neyor said, “When we too have crossed the river, we will help others to cross. We don’t cross the river and say I’m done.”

He said God has blessed him and his children, because he has imparted in them the act of giving and helping others. Finally, Mr. Neyor expressed the hope to provide internet access facility for the school in the future, to expose the students to modern technology in their early age.

“So we will work with the Liberia Project Education on the next phase to be able to do some additional support to the institution as they move ahead,” Mr. Neyor promised.

LPE Co-founder, Mr. Blake Brown, on his part, said, “We decided that we want to make a contribution here, spent time with you- that’s when the project really originated.”

He intimated they have decided to grow the organization into a non-profit setup, saying their visit there was hopefully not the last. Mr. Ryan Brown, also a co-founder, said the initiative was made possible through fundraising, to which he said family members, people from the church and others made donations to their website.

“And this is our first time doing this and we are having amazing experience here in Liberia,” he said. Madea Ethel Neyor, on her part, said they now have their own website where they have been raising money, a little bit close to US$2,000.

“For the teachers, we got plan books, cartons of reams of sheets and pens. We got a small generator so that you can do presentations, movies and educational videos,” she said.

The students, teachers and parents thanked the organization for their love towards them, and promised to make use of the opportunity.