SchoolNet Liberia/IAVE Liberia

The foundation and former executive director of International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) have been instrumental in gathering stakeholders in Liberia for strategic planning for the establishment of a SNA chapter in Liberia. IAVE and the global youth action network have been developing training manuals for training indigenous grassroots leaders in techniques of running volunteer centres, including a local steering committee with responsibility to explore funding opportunities once a centre has been established.

Objectives:

• To expose students to a wider range of modern technological systems.
• To carry out testing and problem solving in the community, with a focus on HIV/AIDS.
• To create a learning package that includes education software and didactic manuals at different levels for students.

Challenges:

The Liberian telecommunications infrastructure was one of the public utilities which suffered severe damage as a result of a decade old civil war. Prior to the war there were telecommunications networks across the former nine counties of Liberia operated by the Liberian Telecommunication Company (LTC). Most of the LTC equipment including the telephone lines and switches were either looted or vandalized and even the pieces that were spared were obsolete, and out of that order.

Another problem facing the industry in Liberia is the high cost of PCs, between $2020-$2020 United States Dollars. In order to address these challenges, this school networking organization seeks to work in collaboration with the local and international partners.

The organization will engage and seek endorsement of the ministry of Education and related government agencies. They have initiated contacts with the ministry of Education responsible for urban and rural education programmes. The ministry of Education has served as the chair for the celebrations of the global youth service day in Liberia of which IAVE Liberia served as its lead agency.

Contacts:

Moses S. Soribah, [email protected]

Country Representative, IAVE-Liberia