About Us
Our Vision
We
believe that every child deserves an opportunity to thrive, no matter
where they live. FUEL Youth views quality educational opportunities as
the key to creating healthy and thriving communities and a peaceful,
stable world. Through education, children are empowered to break through
the cycle of poverty that has entrapped generations upon generations of
children in Africa and across the globe. We believe that by building
schools, we are building futures.
Why Liberia?
In
2003, the West African country of Liberia emerged from two decades of
civil war that crippled its economy, destroyed its infrastructure, and
left most of its population in extreme poverty. While Liberia is in the
process of rebuilding, the government has not been able to effectively
address the education gap that persists. At least 50% of the country’s
schools were destroyed during the war, and more than 60% of Liberia’s
teachers lack proper training. With a shortage of schools and qualified
teachers, Liberian children are effectively denied access to quality
educational opportunities.
We,
at FUEL Youth, view education as a critical part of the rebuilding
process - in Liberia, as well as in any other post-conflict country.
Education can salvage a young generation traumatized by conflict to
offer a brighter future for all of its citizens.
Who We Are
The
FUEL Youth team formed in 2006, and achieved 501c3 status in 2008, to
support the vision of Edward Fahnbulleh, a Liberian living in the United
States who took the initiative to expand access to education in his
home community of Gardnersville, Liberia. FUEL Youth’s Washington,
D.C.-based team works in collaboration with a dedicated group of young
leaders in Liberia to develop and expand its education initiatives.
What We’ve Accomplished
In
2006, FUEL Youth opened its first school, United Christian Academy
(UCA), on Swaggart Island in Gardnersville, Liberia. Since the school
opened, FUEL Youth has supported several projects to develop the UCA
community, including the provision of scholarships, books and teaching
materials, teacher workshops, and a water tower to provide clean,
drinking water to UCA and the surrounding community. Currently, UCA
educates nearly 400 students in pre-kindergarten through 9th grade, and
FUEL Youth is working to develop a library on-site to advance student
and community learning.
In
2009, FUEL Youth broke ground on its second school which is under
construction in the rural, predominantly Muslim village of Messima in
Grand Cape Mount County. Currently, about 100 children from Messima and
three surrounding villages gather to learn in a three-room, makeshift
structure. The new school will include nine classrooms, an auditorium, a
nurse facility and an early childhood education center. We expect
construction to be complete in 2012.
Our
close collaboration with the communities we serve ensures that FUEL
Youth programs are implemented effectively and resources are invested
efficiently. We take great pride in what we have accomplished thus far,
but there is much work yet to be done.
What We Seek to Accomplish
- While electricity remains a rare commodity in Liberia, FUEL Youth is eager to wire its schools with electric infrastructure to enable night classes for adults and computers for the library and school administrators. We are actively pursuing resources for our Solar FUEL program to harness Liberia’s roughly 1,660 hours of sunshine per year as a sustainable source of power for the schools.
- FUEL Youth is working to develop a Schools For Schools curriculum to enable U.S.-based schools to engage with our FUEL Youth-affiliated schools in Liberia. This unique partnership will not only provide meaningful support to our school in Liberia, but it will enable cross-cultural learning that both schools will find valuable.
- In an effort to attract quality teachers to rural Liberian schools, FUEL Youth plans to implement Teach for Liberia, a scholarship-fellowship program that will provide scholarship opportunities to Liberian teachers willing to spend two years serving at one of FUEL Youth’s rural schools.
- FUEL Youth is also working to put Liberia back on the tourism map through our Experience Liberia program. Beginning in 2013, we plan to guide volunteer trips to offer travel enthusiasts an opportunity to immerse themselves in Liberia’s vibrant culture and to help advance FUEL Youth projects on the ground.