The 14-year Liberian Civil War, the 2014 Ebola Outbreak and now the COVID Pandemic have ravaged Liberia’s education system.
Medulla Foundation strives to improve primary education in Liberia, aiding in creating and supporting local schools.
Medulla Foundation
The medulla is an area of the brain located in the brain stem. It is vital to life and arguably the most important part of the brain. Medulla Foundation strives to serve this function for the children in the communities of Liberia— to support educational needs and provide opportunities for students and schools to thrive. Just as the medulla is essential to survival, the children cannot succeed and persist without a quality education. We strive to give young minds a chance at change.
Our
Mission
We strive to improve the learning outcomes of primary-aged children with a commitment to providing educational infrastructure and resources to vulnerable children in Liberia.
Like many towns in Liberia, Garmaymu is a vibrant community in need of a local primary school. To attend school, the children must walk miles to the nearest public school. Our ultimate goal is to build a school to ensure that the children of Garmaymu have access to a safe, quality education, and persist in school. We believe that through improving primary education, and with the support and expertise of the Garmaymu community, we can provide hope and opportunity. We are currently fundraising, accepting donated goods and organizing them for shipment.
How to Help
Giving young minds a chance at change...
Beritta Barjey, Founder, Medulla Foundation
Beritta Barjey was born in Tema, Ghana, where she and her family were refugees during the Liberian Civil War. She and her family returned to Liberia briefly during the War, but were once again forced to flee to Ghana with the assistance of a refugee agency. At the age of eight, in the midst of the War, Beritta’s family made the difficult decision to send her to the United States with her maternal aunt. Although the United States provided many opportunities, it was a struggle being away from her immediate family and not always finding vital support. Despite her struggles, she took advantage of the opportunities afforded to her and proved her resilience. She graduated from Westfield State University with a Bachelors in Social Work. A few years later, she also completed a Master's in Social Work. Growing up in the United States, Beritta never forgot about her family back home and the growing needs of her community in Liberia. Over the years, she has sent much-needed supplies to her struggling hometown in Monrovia. Orchestrating her mother’s immigration, they were reunited in 2017, not having seen each other in 16 years.
In February of 2020, Beritta traveled back to Liberia for the first time since she left at eight years old. She witnessed first-hand the lasting and devastating impact of the Civil War, as well as the Ebola Outbreak. While there, the COVID Pandemic hit, forcing Beritta to prolong her stay, months longer than planned, unable to leave Liberia. Beritta rose to the occasion and held outdoor school classes for the neighborhood children, whose schools were closed due to the Pandemic. During this time, she also completed her Master’s in Social Work remotely, with virtually no technological resources. Amidst her own education struggles to earn her master’s degree, she was devastated by the condition of the local school (KIPS) and lack of resources. This reaffirmed Beritta’s commitment to continue her work in supporting the local educational system. After five months, she was finally able to return to the United States, where she created Medulla Foundation.
The State of Education
Liberia
Low Learning Outcomes
Student pass rates have actually been declining across Liberia, with pass rates for 9th grade at 60% and 12th grade at 47%.
Overage Enrollment
Approximately 74% of early childhood, 82% of primary and 85% of secondary students are older than they typically should be. There are more 10, 11 and 12 year olds in 2nd grade than 7 year olds. Overage students exasperates dropout rates.
School Fees and Expenses
The main barriers to educational access are school fees, expenses and indirect costs, including uniforms, required educational materials and entrance exam fees.
A Chance at Change
Private and public schools have been ravaged by tragedies that reshaped both the present and future of education. A decades-long civil war and an Ebola outbreak crippled schools, destroying 80% of all school infrastructure and staffing by 2016. A generation of under-educated youth developed, as the national focus was survival. Less than 40% of children attended primary school during this time and 80% of students are too old for their grade. These large gaps have created a shortage of qualified teachers, compounding the the problem. The recent COVID Pandemic exacts another blow to a people and a country just starting to recover.
We are amazed at the resilience of the people of Liberia, despite poverty, disease and conflict, they persevere. The government has taken bold new steps to adopt Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to develop the Liberia Education Advancement Program (LEAP), where outside organizaations can implement research-based education strategies in public schools. In conjunction to this effort, the govermnet has pledged to increase pupil spending from $50 to $100 per student. We want to participate in these exciting new effots and hope to use our resources enhance these efforts.
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Giving Young Minds a Chance at Change
phone
+1 413-345-5169
address
31 Old Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013