On Friday, May 31, 2019, in the Auditorium of the Child Friendly School, participants from diverse backgrounds including Mr. Harry Doe, County Education Officer, Mr. Harrison Kaywea, Tchien District Education Officer, and other officials of the county’s Education Board, partners from the NGO sector including the Regional Education Coordinator of OXFAM, Mr. Zwannah Kimber, representatives from Action Aid, Save The Children, SWODA and the Head of the Civil Society Network of Grand Gedeh, Mr. J. Garley Marh, witnessed the Dedication Ceremony of a Reading Room established by the Kids’ Educational Engagement Project, (KEEP). Also present were the PTA Board of Grand Gedeh County, representatives from the National Teachers Association of Liberia, the Christian Council, and the faculty, staff and students of the host school.
Mr. Alfred Gbarzaryee, Principal of the Child Friendly School, congratulated KEEP for the project. “We have dreamed for this Reading Room project for many years. Thank God, and many thanks to KEEP, for this initiative. We will use this Reading Room to the best of our ability”, he said.
For his part, the County Education Officer, Mr. Harry Doe, counted some of the work of KEEP has been doing (construction of reading rooms, distribution of exercise books and other school materials, etc.) in the County, and pointed to how the work is benefiting the local education authorities, the schools and students who are the direct beneficiaries.
Mr. Doe thanked KEEP for the project and prayed for KEEP to get more funding to continue such good initiatives. “If we would have 3-4 organizations like KEEP in the county and even Liberia, our educational system will be improved in less than a year.” Mr. Doe said. He then cautioned the school administration and the students to take good care of the facility and the materials placed in it. He further urged the students to spend more time using the facility than on Facebook. “Be your own security of this Reading Room.” He ended.
For his part, Mr. Zwannah Kimber who represented OXFAM, congratulated KEEP for the project and encouraged the students to take charge of the room. “WE shall include this in our report to our head office and we are hoping to work with KEEP to contribute more to our education system in Grand Gedeh. Many othet speakers at the program praised KEEP for the good initiative.
At the end of the program, the CEO, Mr. Harry Doe, cut the ribbon and turned the keys over to Mr. Harrison Kaywea, Tchien District Education Officer who also turned the keys over to the Principal of the school, Mr. Alfred Gbarzaryee, and urged him to use the Room with care and effectively. About 436 children are expected to benefit from the Room.
