48% of Liberians cannot read and write. 54% of Liberians live on less than $2 a day.
A hungry child cannot read.
For 7 years, KEEP has linked its reading programs with sustainable economic programs that somewhat holistically looks at poverty and education.
As such, our model looks at the family, the school environment, the teachers-and not only the child’s ability to learn to read.
In April, KEEP dedicated a reading room at a public school that has existed for 54 years-without a library. On the heels of creating reading room at the Madina public school, our model calls for the creation of a communal economic club.
The program operates on a simple yet effective model. Village women come together to form savings groups, where they contribute a small amount of money every week/month. The money is then kept in a secure box, and at the end of each cycle, the group members receives their savings plus interest. The program also provides loans to group members who need financial support to scale up their business, pay their children’s school fees, buy uniforms, and other educational materials.
Social funds generated from the clubs also supports minor repairs and maintenance of the reading rooms created by KEEP as another way of sustaining the facility.
Members of the community named their club “Kambasaa” meaning “God’s grace” in the Vai dialect. The club received a start up capital of L$175,000 and the first cycle will run for a period of 10 months and at the end of the period, if performed well, a new club will be birthed from this club, thus continuing the cycle and empowering others.
