Summer Work Program

Editor’s Note: Joey Neuhauser, Communications and Operations Officer at Liberia Mission, gives an update on the Mission’s Summer Work Program.

Summer is the time of year when all hands are on deck in preparation for another school year on Liberia Mission. This year, much like every year, our BWI vocational students, residential students, and seminarians are helping to accomplish the tasks at hand. We especially need their help because this summer has been a huge transition period for life on the Mission. But first, you may be wondering, what is the summer work program?

Liberia Mission’s summer work program is a one-month program that typically has around 20 participants. All of the students involved in the summer work program are compensated for their efforts.

The summer work program provides a stream of income for our BWI vocational students and our residential students alike, from which they can buy all their school materials for the coming year. It also helps the Mission. Rather than hiring out, we hire our former and current students. The work the students do leads to the acquisition of new and necessary skills that can be used in their future.

For the entire month of July, our BWI students spent countless hours assisting a local construction crew with the building of our new preschool. This has meant completely changing the old girl’s dorm, the oldest building on the property, into a safe and educationally conducive environment. They’ve also endeavored to build massive trenches up and down the sides of the school buildings to allow for greater passage of water in the rainy season.

These young men and women have also had a profound impact upon the farm these past two months. We’ve had at least three students help us everyday on the farm, and they have been learning valuable skills. They assist with medicine administration to animals, planting of yams, harvesting of crops, grazing cows, weeding, and even butchering. It’s hard work, but the students have been up to the challenge. One specific and very helpful farm project that the students have been assisting with is expanding the platform on which the cows sleep.

The last task undertaken by our summer workers has been the repainting of St. Anthony of Padua school. Every year, the elements of Liberia’s harsh rain and humidity degrade the appearance of our school. The annual repainting was accomplished by our wonderful BWI and residential students!

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