Juneteenth: how & why to celebrate
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863, which declared all enslaved persons in rebellious states as free. However, this did not mean the end to slavery. Slavery was not actually abolished until two and a half years later, on June 19th, 1865.
Food Chosen Over Face Masks
Where many people live on less than $1 a day, Liberia’s National Public Health Institute found only 10% to 15% of people in overcrowded slums can afford to purchase face masks.
2019 Annual Report
Expenditures for 2019 were $154,968, an increase of 17%, which included the new adult literacy program and an increased number of small grants awarded. Indirect costs associated with fundraising include printing appeal letters twice a year and postage. Indirect costs were 6.3% of expenditures, lower than 2018. FOL has received [...]
All families in Literacy Initiative receive supplies to prevent the spread of coronavirus
Two hundred families received literacy materials and hand washing supplies thanks to our partner, WE-CARE, and the generous donations of FOL Member Sally Gosline Humphrey. FOL is focusing its efforts on supporting organizations fighting coronavirus in Liberia.
Liberia Evacuates Two Groups of PCVs Due to Financial Crisis and Coronavirus Pandemic
In December 2019, Peace Corps Liberia reduced the number of its volunteers due to the economic crisis that closed banks, suspended salaries, and reduced resources in much of the country. Three months later, the coronavirus was declared a pandemic and Peace Corps evacuated all volunteers from around the world, including [...]
How Vulnerable is Liberia to COVID-19?
Even the most privileged of countries are struggling to stop the spread of coronavirus. Which begs the question – how are developing countries, with much poorer health care systems, going to fight the transmission of the virus? The Ebola epidemic killed over 11,000 people in West Africa. In Liberia, it [...]
Home Visitors Deliver Prevention of COVID Messages
WE-CARE Foundation, FOL's partner in its Family Literacy Initiative, are doing their part durning the COVID-19 outbreak to protect themselves and the families that they work with through the use of PPE and hand washing. While We Care is no longer doing their regular home visits they have dropped off [...]
Using an old mat to plat a new one
Sharing Lessons Learned from Ebola to Defeat Coronavirus is an op-ed in The Bush Chicken by Otis S. Bundor, a contact tracer/active case finder during the Ebola epidemic.
Evacuated RPCVs Need Your Signature
Frustrated about the level of medical and financial support they are receiving, evacuated RPCVs are circulating a petition calling for more aid. The Peace Corps typically offers medical and dental exams to volunteers before they leave their assigned countries, but wasn’t able to prescribe necessary medications or complete these exams [...]
WE-CARE Helps Prevent COVID-19 from Spreading
Our partner, WE-CARE, is distributing a poster throughout Liberia to explain what each person can do to stop the spread of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. While home visits of the FOL sponsored Family Literacy Initiative are suspended, WE-CARE continues its leadership as a respected non-governmental organization promoting [...]
To all new RPCVs: Welcome home and thank you for your service!
In December 2019, Peace Corps Liberia reduced the number of its volunteers due to the in-country economic crisis. Three months later, COVID-19 is declared a pandemic and Peace Corps evacuated all volunteers from around the world, including those that remained in Liberia. FoL hosted an online chat last week for [...]
Schools Close and Peace Corps Withdraws due to Pandemic
The Ministry of Education has closed all schools, including institutions of higher learning, for one week beginning Tuesday, March 17. The US Peace Corps is suspending all operations globally and evacuating all volunteers. Posts are not closing and the agency will return to normal operations after the COVID-19 pandemic [...]