To bring our vision to reality, FUEL Youth works with Liberian communities to build schools where there are none.
We believe that by building schools, we are building futures.
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.
Meet Our Founder:
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The FUEL Youth story starts with co-founder Edward Fahnbulleh, who had a dream of providing access to quality educational opportunities to youth in his home country of Liberia. In 1985, Edward moved to the United States to obtain a university degree in early childhood education. The first of Liberia’s civil wars broke out in 1987, and the country was not at peace again until 2003. Edward finally returned home in 2003 to find his country in a much worse state than when he left eighteen years ago.
Schools in urban areas were in shambles, and in rural areas, schools were non-existent. Across the country, what little utility infrastructure that had been built was destroyed during the war. In Edward’s home village of Messima, water contamination during the rainy season led to a high infant mortality rate. Edward built a new well to provide a clean source of water in Messima, which allowed the youth community to thrive. Back in Washington, D.C., Edward began sending money back to Liberia to fund the construction of a school in Gardnersville, a bustling island community outside of Monrovia. In 2006, that school opened its doors to over 100 children who had no prior access to education.
Around that time in Washington, D.C., Edward and a group of young people met at Trios Restaurant, and they became fast friends. Inspired by Edward’s efforts, this group formalized their effort as FUEL Youth (Friends United for the Education of Liberian Youth), an organization dedicated to expanding access to education for Liberian children.
FUEL Youth continues to be based in Washington, D.C. and in Liberia. The U.S. board of directors directly engages with our projects and friends in Liberia, and directors and volunteers fund their own way to Liberia to help with programs and projects to ensure that all of our funding goes towards the youth in Liberia that we aim to support.
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 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 percent of the country’s schools were destroyed during the war, and more than 60 percent 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 other post-conflict countries. Education can salvage a young generation traumatized by conflict to offer a brighter future for all Liberian citizens.
The youth of Liberia show an incredible amount of motivation and a strong desire to learn. We believe helping them in this endeavor will lead to a sustained peace, and make youth today and in the future less vunerable to being coerced by negative forces that may try to pull Liberia back into conflict.
Liberia has always been a close sister to the United States, with its establishment as Africa’s first and only true independent republic, settled by free former slaves and other African Americans from the United States in the 19th century. Liberia remains a sister country of the United States and FUEL intends to foster this relationship by helping our Liberia friends forward in today’s world.
