Liberia foundation helps 52 out-of-school children return to education

The Nyonblee Cares Foundation (NCF) has graduated 52 children through its Speed School Program in Liberia, giving them a second chance at education and a pathway into the formal school system after missing out on classroom learning.

The graduation marked the foundation’s sixth commencement exercise, highlighting its efforts to help children from underserved communities overcome barriers to education and build a stronger foundation for their future.

The Speed School Program targets out-of-school children, generally aged 6 to 14, through an accelerated learning model that equips them with basic literacy and numeracy skills before they transition to formal schools.

Of the 60 students enrolled in the graduating group, 52 completed the programme, according to George S. Stewart, director of the foundation.

Education is every child’s right

Madam Julia Duncan Cassell, former superintendent of Grand Bassa County and guest speaker at the ceremony, urged parents, religious leaders, community members and national authorities to do more to ensure that disadvantaged children have access to education.

Cassell said she accepted the invitation to address the gathering because of her commitment to children’s education and the need to widen learning opportunities across Grand Bassa County.

She encouraged families and community leaders to motivate children to enrol in programmes that help them enter or return to school, stressing that elementary education provides the foundation for future academic and professional development.

Liberia, she said, needs educated people across different professional fields to drive national progress, making investment in children's education essential.

Foundation seeks to widen access

Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, founder of NCF, said the initiative was established to support children whose families could not afford to send them to school.

She stressed that a family’s financial circumstances should not determine a child’s access to education and said the foundation had worked with sponsors to help graduates continue their studies from fourth grade through twelfth grade.

Lawrence thanked sponsors in Liberia and the United States, along with the foundation’s boards, teachers and parents, for helping sustain the programme.

She also called for its expansion into more communities in Grand Bassa County, noting that reaching additional children would require more classrooms, teachers and specialised instructor training.

The initiative, she said, demonstrates how community-based education programmes can bring learning opportunities to children without necessarily depending on the construction of conventional school buildings.

217 more children to join programme

Stewart said the latest graduation reflected sustained efforts to reconnect children who had never attended school or had fallen behind their peers with formal education.

He announced that 217 additional students were being brought into the programme across several locations, including Grand Bassa and Montserrado counties.

The accelerated learning model enables children to develop foundational skills in approximately 10 months. Their performance determines the grade level they can enter when transitioning to formal schools, with some advancing to fourth grade and others entering lower grades.

The programme is designed to help children catch up academically rather than remain disadvantaged because of years spent outside the classroom.

Stewart described the initiative as a complement to government efforts to increase school enrolment and widen access to education across Liberia.

However, he acknowledged that graduation is only one step in the journey. For many children from low-income families, the cost of continuing their education remains a significant challenge.

The foundation is exploring ways to support students beyond the accelerated learning stage, seeking to reduce the risk of them dropping out after entering formal schools.

Education and healthcare for underserved communities

Established in 2011 by Lawrence, the Nyonblee Cares Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organisation operating in Liberia and the United States under the motto, “Care That Never Stops.”

Its work spans education, healthcare and economic empowerment, with a particular focus on underserved communities in Grand Bassa County and other parts of Liberia.

Beyond the Speed School Program, the foundation provides scholarships and sponsorships and promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, robotics and mentorship.

Its healthcare initiatives include a mobile clinic programme, launched in 2011 to bring basic medical services closer to rural and underserved communities, and a surgical outreach programme that helps patients who face financial barriers to treatment.

The foundation reported that more than 600 people had benefited from its health programmes in 2026.

Through partnerships with sponsors, development organisations, educational institutions and community groups, NCF continues to work towards improving access to essential services for vulnerable populations.

For the 52 graduates, the latest ceremony marks the beginning of a new educational journey. The foundation is now seeking additional sponsorship to help them remain in school and complete their studies, recognising that access to education must be matched by sustained support if children are to turn a second chance into lasting opportunity.