Land cleared by villagers for construction of their school in Marshall, Liberia. Photo/GBGM

Contributions to the General Board of Global Ministries for the Bishops' Appeal "Hope for the Children of Africa" continue to re-build lives in immeasurable ways. To date, more than $3,812,082 has been received by the Advance. The need for funds remains strong as there are ongoing requests from our African partners for assistance in helping to alleviate the suffering of children throughout the continent.

As United Methodist contributions are distributed in various episcopal areas of the denomination, orphanages are being built to provide sanctuary for children who have lost their parents to warfare or the AIDS pandemic; and schools are being constructed to educate students forced to flee their villages.

In a recent GBGM staff briefing, the Rev. James Fitzergerald, Executive Secretary for "Hope for the Children of Africa" described the struggle of people in Marshall, a small town outside the capitol city of Monrovia, Liberia, where civil war lasted more than 10 years. Fitzgerald said of residents:

"They are survivors–people who returned to their village, a shadow of what it was before, and to a state of impoverishment greater than what they had previously known. They have horror stories to tell and bear scars of living in the bush or as refugees in neighboring regions.

They returned to a place where virtually all buildings were stripped of tin roofs, windows, and doors by insurgents who resold these items to finance their war efforts... Part of this destruction included the United Methodist School.

Selma Barnabus, a United Methodist laywoman and educator from Brooklyn NY, who was a participant in the GBGM Mission Study Travel Seminar to Africa/2000, stands with school children in Marshall, Liberia. Photo/GBGM

Fortunately, the United Methodist Church still stands and remains the spiritual center for the people. The church also serves as a school during the week. Church benches are arranged in a classroom style for 150 children from kindergarten to ninth grade. There are no textbooks. Teachers rely on memory and simply teach what they know. There is little or no money to pay teachers; they live by subsistence farming. Tuition of less than fifteen cents (U.S.) per school year is out of affordable range for most families.

Among the primary students are young adults, some 19 to 22 years and in grades as low as three and four, but determined to fulfill educational goals that were disrupted by war in their early years. Principal of the school, Mr. Fayla D. Koijee, a displaced person himself says, "Giving up on education would mean that there will be no one to replace us. We continue until we succeed."

Mr. Koijee, principal of the temporary school, stands near a display of mud bricks the villagers of Marshall are making to build their new school. Photo/GBGM

Children of Marshall are fortunate to have a church that remains and provides for their needs. But as daily news stories indicate and reports from our African partners express, there remain millions of children living in dire situations throughout the continent. The cries of these children must be heard and assistance must be given. You can help by sending gifts to "Hope for the Children of Africa" Advance #101000-4.

October 6, 2000