Palmfield Community Christian School
Dear Friends,
We are very grateful to our faithful supporters who in these past several years have made it possible to continue our work in Liberia. Your gifts large and small have kept our Palmfield Community Christian School moving forward to now have five-hundred plus children receiving an education. And the great news is that this year we will have our first graduating class. Thanks to one of our donors we are hoping to award three deserving students scholarships to the local college or trade school. Other plans are in the works to see what practical training skills we can give our students to help with jobs for the future.
Our teachers and administrative staff deserve much of the credit for the ongoing success of our students. In Liberia, the Department of Education requires regular testing at certain grade levels and our students have consistently tested well. We are very thankful for the commitment our staff have shown to the students in making sure they have the best education possible.
The cost of providing education to these young ones is about $3,200 per month which includes salaries for 20 teachers and our administrative and support staff. We could not run the school without our wonderful Program Administrator and Pastor Johnson (our principal) and so many others who sacrifice to work at our school. Due to budget restraints we pay less than the public school and yet our staff remains faithful. We have very little overhead costs and all of the board members freely serve. We pay our own travel expenses when we visit the school.
Each month we must raise the funds to keep the school going and that is why we are very thankful for all of your support. God is our provider but He puts it on the hearts of people to give. Your giving (whether large or small) does make a difference. One of the ways is by sponsoring a child for $30 a month. We appreciate those you who are faithful in sponsoring month after month!
Recently two of our board members returned from a visit and shared that many of the students were asking for food and that teachers often share their lunch and food with hungry children. This breaks our heart and we would very much like to reach out in some way to meet this need. We estimate the cost to be around $2500 per month to add a feeding program (about $5 per student per month.) We are praying for a church or group to partner with us in making this happen. If you are interested in learning more about this project please contact us.
Please continue to pray that the needs of our school will be met. We serve a big God and His resources are not limited. God has entrusted them to us to give these children a “cup of cold water in my name.”.
God bless you,
Linda Vollman
Board President
Palmfield is an area northwest of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. It is a very needy area, with the hundreds of school age children having no access or opportunity to attend school. Plan for the Children Humanitarian Aid has recently started a new school which is already at capacity.
In the summer of 2013, a vacation Bible school was started by a young pastor, Rev. Joseph Johnson, in the Palmfield area. They met in a very rustic borrowed space in which more than 200 children attended. The children and parents urged Pastor Johnson to continue on with regular school starting that September. Local teachers volunteered their time and more than 300 children attended.
Palmfield Community Christian School Students Wearing New Uniforms
The classes were held with no furniture and the children are asked to bring something to sit on. Each day, there was an array of plastic buckets, cement building blocks and pieces of wood used as chairs and desks. But it was a school and a beginning!
Donations to PCHA purchased a small piece of land which was cleared by community volunteers. Next, a well was dug and construction of a basic school began. The cost of the school, some basic furniture, books and supplies cost around $75,000. A monthly budget that pays teachers a small salary, government mandated uniforms and other operating costs need to be met by faithful, continual giving.
Palmfield Community Christian School Students Wearing New School Uniforms
One very important aspect of our education is the students are being taught the word of God, morals, and right from wrong as the long civil war robbed these from the people. They had to survive by whatever means possible.
PCHA hopes within a few years that this school can start to fund itself, or at least most of it. We believe kids should not be prevented from attending school because they cannot afford to go. That is the very reason why we need to help them and provide the seeds of good for these children who will grow up to be productive adults in their country.
Palmfield Community Christian School 2019 Graduation
Dear Friends,
It is with much gladness that we share these photos of our first ever graduation on August 18th. You can see the joy on the faces of the students, families and teachers as they celebrate together. This graduation is possible because of the giving of so many of our dear friends like you!
Another reason to celebrate is we are offering scholarships for further training or education to three of our graduates; more news about this to follow!
We have been blessed with a volunteer teacher, Virginia Lee, who arrived in Liberia in July and who has been instrumental in gearing up for the next school year by providing teacher training and curriculum development. Virginia has committed a year of her time and we see this as a great opportunity for our school to improve in many areas. Our teachers do a great job but they have not had the advantages that teachers here have. We encourage you to follow Virginia’s blog at:
We are in awe of how much has been accomplished at Palmfield School in such a short time. It was just six years ago that kids were meeting in an abandoned building with parents taking turns trying to educate their children. Thanks to you and the grace of God, lives are being changed forever.
Please remember to visit our website at www.planforthechildren.com for updates or to donate. (For those who prefer to send a check we have enclosed an envelope.) Also, remember us on Amazon smile☺ Your continued donations are making a difference! Thank you so much for your generosity!
Ann, Debby, Dick, Georgia, Jan, Jeff, Judy, Linda, Sandy, and Shanda
PLAN Board of Directors
Palmfield Community Christian School Construction
