The document summarizes the Fassavolu Education Project, which aims to improve education in the remote rural village of Fassavolu, Liberia. The project involves constructing a new school building through community participation and sweat equity. It also aims to develop the school by bringing in trained teachers, textbooks, teaching aids and technology. The project supports each child's vocational goals and operates the school through agricultural entrepreneurship to become self-financing. Graduates from Rebuild Africa's scholarship program provided technical support to residents as they cleared the site, made bricks, mined sand, and worked together to construct the new school building over several months.

1. Fassavolu Education Project
A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community
August 2016 Update
Rebuild Africa © 2011. Strictly Confidential. All Rights Reserved.

2. Why a School Project in a Remote Rural Town?
1
Living in a “remote rural town” in Liberia usually means you are cut off, left out, forgotten, out
of sight and if anything comes your way, it would most likely be low quality and left over. In
terms of education that means low quality teachers, no text books, poor facilities, poor reading
and math skills for students and distant (if any) prospect of college education.
But what if people living in a remote community
like Fassavolu decide that a remote village need
not be a death sentence. What possibilities might
lie ahead for them?
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

3. What is the BIG Idea Behind this Project?
2
Give Fassavolu kids the same opportunities for a great education like kids living in
more resourced communities by supporting residents to accomplish two things:
First, help them remove the key barriers to quality education-lack of facilities,
good teachers, text books and other teaching aids. Second, support them in their
efforts to develop the human potential of each child.
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

4. So How is it going to Work?
3
There are four parts to this project :
 School Construction-leveraging residents’ sweat equity to provide better facilities for education.
 School Development- bringing in trained teachers, books, teaching aids and technology;
 Skills for Life- Supporting each child to achieve their vocational goals in life; and
 Sustainable School- Operating a self-financing school through agricultural entrepreneurship
Fassavolu Education Project: A village-level solution to education in a rural community
School ConstructionSkills for Life
School Development Sustainable School

5. So What is the Fassavolu Story ?
4
Where is Fassavolu?
• 230 miles from the capital, Monrovia
• Not accessible by car during the
rainy season
• Near the Sierra Leone and Guinea
border, heavily damaged during the
Civil War..
• Fassavolu is the village where
Rebuild Africa provided building
skills training to youths and
worked with residents to build five
houses.
• After that, residents on their own
built over 40 houses in a village
where new construction had
completely stopped after the civil
war.
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

6. How did we make the Transition to Education in Fassavolu ?
5
What followed were
a series of town hall
meetings to plan the
way forward.
The Fassavolu School was at risk
of losing the only building
where it currently holds classes
because the local farm coop
that owns it was about to
restart operation and needed
storage space.
Then Fassavolu decided to call on an old Friend, Rebuild Africa
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

7. The rest of this presentation is the result of the Fassavolu and Rebuild Africa Partnership
on Education
6
Financial and Material Support
Technical Supervision and Oversight
Motivational Assistance
Local ownership & Leadership
Supply of labor inputs
Supply of local materials
Supply of Logistics
Because Fassavolu is not readily accessible by
car, only the commitment and initiatives of its
people could make the construction possible.
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

8. Summary of Conclusions Reached by
Fassavolu and Rebuild Africa in our Initial Meetings
7
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

9. 8
Validating the Meeting Results with Fassavolu Residents
Rebuild Africa learned
from its first project that
even a good project will
encounter community
opposition.
So graduates from our
scholarship program
went to Fassavolu to
lead community
education and
engagement.
And to validate if in fact
education was the heart
desire of the people of
Fassavolu.
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

10. 9
Graduates from Rebuild Africa’s scholarship program travel to Fassavolu to
provide technical support to Fassavolu and provided project management and
technical help to residents.
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

11. 10
Work Started
in earnest
with clearing
the
construction
Site
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

12. 11
Then it was time
to remove old
stumps and level
the ground
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

13. 12
Then a
shelter was
built for
storing the
bricks …

14. 13
The result a
few weeks
later…
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

15. 14
Time to repair
the brick
making
machine…
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

16. 15
To make and lay
cement bricks for
the foundation and
to raise the walls of
the building, sand is
needed. And since
trucks cannot come
to Fassavolu…
Mining sand
from the
river bed
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

17. 16
Lots of sand
is needed for
construction
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

18. 17
And after a
few weeks of
work ….. …
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

19. 18
Construction
needs a lot of
water, too…
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

20. 19
Rebuild Africa
brought in
material
supply
technical
labor
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community
and

21. 20
Time to start
work on the
building and
the
foundation…
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

22. 21
Active community
support
makes the work
possible
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

23. 22
Rebuild Africa’s
technical
expertise
guides the
construction..
A Rebuild Africa
worker who
supervised the
first Fassavolu
project spent
his summer
break from
studying for a
Master in the
US to supervise
much of the
construction!
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

24. 23
Now the
building
starts to
rise!

25. 24
And from
day to day
the
building
rose in the
sun
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

26. 25
The walls are finally Raised
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

27. 26
By December
these girls will
have a brand
new school to
go to!
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community

28. 27
Fassavolu Education Project: A Village-level Solution to Education in a Rural Community
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