N'Jabacca School Project
Massaquoi Mission
The purpose of the Massaquoi Mission/N’jabacca School Project is to raise funds for the construction of a school building in the historic village of N’jabacca, Cape Mount, Liberia, West Africa.
Fritz and Fasia Massaquoi learned recently that their ancestral home, the village of N’jabacca, was devastated by a massive flood in 1997. Its 400 students and 4 volunteer teachers have been forced to use a small, temporary structure, made from mud and bamboo with a thatch roof as a makeshift school building.
This structure is not weatherproof and classes are often suspended or cancelled, especially during the rainy season (each May-October), a six-month period that often sees more than 220 inches of rainfall.
The school serves children and young adults, ages 6 through 24. There is an accelerated program which was established by the Liberian government for those students ages 10 through 24, who have lagged behind because of the 14-year civil war. A new school of sufficient size and quality is vital to the future of the village’s 800 residents, most of whom are children without access to other educational facilities. N’jabacca students would have to walk 8 miles round-trip to reach the school in the nearest village. Most of the students’ parents are subsistence farmers whose earnings at best are $67.00 per month.
The proposed 7,500-square foot school building is slated to include 6 classrooms, an auditorium, resource room, kitchen, 2 offices, and 4 restrooms. St. James has established a line item in its ministry/outreach budget for the Massaquoi Mission/N’jabacca School Project. Continued support would insure the access to education for current and future generations of this historic village.
The Massaquoi Family will be on hand to oversee the purchase of materials, and supervise the construction of the facility which will be led by a team leader and supported by a small team of skilled workers. N’jabacca residents will also be involved in the construction process and an effort will be made to provide them with hands-on instruction in maintenance and repair so that they will become more capable of sustaining the facility without reliance on outside technical assistance.
The whole village of N’jabacca (about 800 people, 400 of whom are students) will benefit from this project, as will generations to come for whom the school promises to serve as a lifeline to a sustainable future. The school will offer vital education and vocational training, thus enabling students to learn: 1) basic farming and survival skills, 2) health education and awareness (sanitation, nutrition, disease prevention, etc.), and 3) academic and communications skills needed to pursue employment and/or higher education.
N'Jabacca School Project
Massaquoi Mission
The purpose of the Massaquoi Mission/N’jabacca School Project is to raise funds for the construction of a school building in the historic village of N’jabacca, Cape Mount, Liberia, West Africa.
Fritz and Fasia Massaquoi learned recently that their ancestral home, the village of N’jabacca, was devastated by a massive flood in 1997. Its 400 students and 4 volunteer teachers have been forced to use a small, temporary structure, made from mud and bamboo with a thatch roof as a makeshift school building.
This structure is not weatherproof and classes are often suspended or cancelled, especially during the rainy season (each May-October), a six-month period that often sees more than 220 inches of rainfall.
The school serves children and young adults, ages 6 through 24. There is an accelerated program which was established by the Liberian government for those students ages 10 through 24, who have lagged behind because of the 14-year civil war. A new school of sufficient size and quality is vital to the future of the village’s 800 residents, most of whom are children without access to other educational facilities. N’jabacca students would have to walk 8 miles round-trip to reach the school in the nearest village. Most of the students’ parents are subsistence farmers whose earnings at best are $67.00 per month.
The proposed 7,500-square foot school building is slated to include 6 classrooms, an auditorium, resource room, kitchen, 2 offices, and 4 restrooms. St. James has established a line item in its ministry/outreach budget for the Massaquoi Mission/N’jabacca School Project. Continued support would insure the access to education for current and future generations of this historic village.
The Massaquoi Family will be on hand to oversee the purchase of materials, and supervise the construction of the facility which will be led by a team leader and supported by a small team of skilled workers. N’jabacca residents will also be involved in the construction process and an effort will be made to provide them with hands-on instruction in maintenance and repair so that they will become more capable of sustaining the facility without reliance on outside technical assistance.
The whole village of N’jabacca (about 800 people, 400 of whom are students) will benefit from this project, as will generations to come for whom the school promises to serve as a lifeline to a sustainable future. The school will offer vital education and vocational training, thus enabling students to learn: 1) basic farming and survival skills, 2) health education and awareness (sanitation, nutrition, disease prevention, etc.), and 3) academic and communications skills needed to pursue employment and/or higher education.