Washington, D.C. — Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (Democrat – New York) were the guests of honor at a Washington, D.C. fundraiser for the Liberian Education Trust (LET) on Tuesday. The event raised $325,000 to build schools, train and hire teachers and provide renewable scholarships for youth in Liberia.
After two decades of turmoil that left Liberia in tatters, Sirleaf's administration has pinned its hopes on its youth by investing in education. During her first year in office, the president proposed a system of free primary education and low-cost secondary schooling and is seeking the resources to make it a reality.
"Liberians want to have the opportunity to enjoy the simple things that an education is able to give," Sirleaf said at the fundraiser.
Her educational program and its supporters at the Liberian Education Trust seek to target those with the least access - girls and women – by giving them scholarships. The president says when boys are sent to school, girls are often overlooked or kept at home to work on farms. Many market women, Sirleaf told the fundraiser, desire only basic literacy "to make a check mark instead of using a thumb print" in the next election.
Senator Clinton also championed the cause of educating women and other marginalized groups. "We know that one year of primary education results in a 10 to 20 percent increase in a woman's wage-earning potential," she said. "And when you educate a woman, you educate children and you change societies."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Clinton has devoted energy to supporting education, most recently in her co-sponsorship of the Education for All Act to help developing countries meet the Millennium Development Goal of universal access to basic education by 2015.
The hope and promise of education and a brighter future for Liberia will take "hard work, perseverance, and resources," Clinton said. Supporting Liberia, she added, was "not only important, but… the right thing to do."
Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, and businessman Morris Goldfarb each gave individual gifts of $50,000. Dr. Deborah Harding, president of the Liberian Education Trust, thanked other notable supporters of the trust, including Queen Noor of Jordan, entrepreneur and philanthropist George Soros, and actress Mia Farrow.
In its first year, the Liberian Education Trust has raised two million dollars for Liberian NGOs to build 18 schools, provide 1,300 scholarships for girls to attend school and award 1,000 scholarships for market women to enroll in literacy classes.
Harding's goal now is to build another 50 schools, train 500 teachers, and provide 5,000 scholarships. Liberia will need that help - and more - as the county faces increased challenges in meeting educational needs. Only 50 percent of Liberian children are enrolled in school and thousands of refugee children have recently returned home.
