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To make a donation restricted to the Liberian Education Trust send checks payable to the Phelps Stokes Fund, indicating LET on the “for/memo” line, to:

Phelps Stokes Fund
1400 Eye Street NW Suite 750
Washington , DC 20005

Or make a secure online donation with your credit or debit card. Click the Paypal icon and follow the instructions.

The Phelps Stokes Fund is a 501 (c)(3) public charity. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Thank you for your support!

About the Liberian Education Trust

The Liberian Education Trust (LET) is a project of the Phelps Stokes Fund, building upon its long-term historical commitment to Liberia.

LET is a grant making initiative whose mission is to:

 

  • build and rehab 50 schools;
  • train 500 teachers;
  • award 5,000 scholarships principally to girls to enroll in school and to stay in school;
  • support women to enter teacher training colleges; and,
  • enroll market women in literacy programs.

 

LET was established to support the restoration of basic education in Liberia . Unfortunately, seventy percent of the population in the country is illiterate. Most schools throughout the country were destroyed during the conflicts, and during that time many teachers fled or were killed. Few children of any age have received any education over the 14 years of wars and the small numbers of schools which have been re-opened since the end of the conflicts are overcrowded. Less than half of the school age children living in Liberia are enrolled in school and most teachers are working as volunteers.

Girls face a particularly difficult challenge in enrolling in school and staying there. There is a historic family preference to send boys to school, and girls who do go to school face the well-documented and pervasive practice of sexual and labor exploitation by male teachers who dominate the teaching profession. The drop out rate among girls is high and teenage pregnancy is all too common; additionally, the HIV-AIDS rate is rising.

The Liberian Education Trust is directed by its President, Dr. Deborah Harding. An Advisory Board composed of U.S.-based corporate, academic, legal, and philanthropic professionals raise funds and make grant decisions. Located in Washington , D.C. , LET has been set up to operate with minimal overhead costs so that funds raised go to programs to the fullest extent possible. The president and the advisory board of LET are giving their time at no cost. LET has established a small locally registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Liberia , LET-Monrovia which will be positioned to take over fully from LET-DC in three years.

The advisory board of US-based professionals is chaired by Robert Sirleaf, son of President Sirleaf and Managing Director of Wachovia. Other members in addition to Deborah Harding include Dr. Allida Black, editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers at George Washington University; Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist and author; and Judy Slotkin, a New York-based corporate director and non-profit trustee.

For Additional Information

Visit www.LiberianEducationTrust.org

Or learn more about the Fund’s Historical Commitment to Liberia