Liberia: Mercy Corps Launches Five-Year Learning Initiative for 50,000 Students in Six Counties

LOUISIANA Township, Montserrado County- Mercy Corps Liberia in collaboration with Save the Children, SCIDA, and EDUcare, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched a 5-year Incentivize Learning Activity, targeting 50,000 learners in 215 Schools across six counties, namely: Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Montserrado, Margibi and Grand Bassa. 

By Francis G.Boayue                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The Incentivize Learning Activity (ILA) is a 5-year project Intended to increase enrollment and attendance for vulnerable and underserved school-age children while contributing to improved learning outcomes and addressing the food insecurity that has become more acute in Liberia.

The ILA Chief of Party, Madam Emily Maosa, giving an overview of the project on Thursday, November 14, 2024, said the project is intended to improve school enrollments and reduce absenteeism through the provision of school meals, targeted financial incentives, community, and parental engagement, and social and behavior change in communication.

In remarks, Mercy Corps Regional Director for West and Central Africa Dr. Fatoumata Haidara, lauded USAID and the collaboration with the Ministry of Education, and all the PTAs, emphasizing the pivotal role of the Incentivize Learning Activity (ILA) Program towards strengthening the collective commitment to educational growth and community resilience in Liberia.

“It is our hope that every child that we reach through the ILA program has the possibility of becoming a leader, a builder and a beacon of hope in his or her community. Through this program and all the other ongoing efforts across the nation, I believe we are planting seeds of change that will flourish in the years to come,” Mercy Corps Regional Director for West and Central Africa asserted.

Also speaking, US Ambassador to Liberia Mark Toner, stressed that education is critical in Liberia and promised the US Government support to education in Liberia. 

“Together let’s build the success of incentivized learning to ensure that every child in Liberia has access to a nutritional menu to consume, grow, and sustain. I want to extend my deep gratitude to Mercy Corps, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education, and all other partners for their dedication and hard work. Together we are building a future for each child in Liberia to learn, grow, and contribute to the progress of Liberia,” Amb. Mark Toner added.

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