African Teachers Need Help Expanding Their School and
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© Photo by Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
The people of Tugbaken live their lives without so many things that Americans take for granted. For starters, they have no electricity. Just imagine the things that would be eliminated from your life! No television. No computer. No refrigerator. No microwave. No dishwasher. No washing machine. It's a very long list. All homes were built from adobe mud blocks and had thatch for roofs. The villagers didn't own much, but I found them to be some of the most welcoming people I've ever met in my travels.
Photo by Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
You might think their list of needs would be huge. But when I asked Daniel Copeland, teacher and principal, what the community needed, he mentioned three things. The village needs help to expand the school which the teachers themselves built and they need access to a clinic.
They would like to expand with three more classrooms for a junior high facility. There is the possibility of teaching volunteers through UNICEF but they would need to construct three houses for these teachers and original classrooms eventually need to be replaced.
They would like to expand with three more classrooms for a junior high facility. There is the possibility of teaching volunteers through UNICEF but they would need to construct three houses for these teachers and original classrooms eventually need to be replaced.
- Help create a clinic and contribute to basic medical supplies and soap. Scroll down page for more information
- Large solar panels at the school are needed to light the clinic and very dark classrooms.
- Funds to create basic classrooms - cost starts at $2,500.
“In all my travels around the world, I've never heard of teachers building their school
and working together to start a clinic except in Liberia.” ~ Phillip Martin
and working together to start a clinic except in Liberia.” ~ Phillip Martin
© Photo by Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
Going to the village of Tugbaken is a life-changing experience. It's something that Americans rarely, if ever, experience. It's difficult to fully comprehend.
Just getting to the village is an African adventure. The journey required a four-hour drive on the paved road into Liberia's interior to Ganta. That was the easy part. Then, I rode for seven hours in a land rover over a dirt and mud road to get to Zwedru, the largest town in the southeast of the country. From there, it was a six hour shared taxi ride south to Fish Town, the capital of River Gee County. Finally, to get to the village of Tugbaken, I still needed an hour and a half ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi on a path that took me off the main road and into bush that I'd never seen before.
Plan on a little more than three days of travel.
Just getting to the village is an African adventure. The journey required a four-hour drive on the paved road into Liberia's interior to Ganta. That was the easy part. Then, I rode for seven hours in a land rover over a dirt and mud road to get to Zwedru, the largest town in the southeast of the country. From there, it was a six hour shared taxi ride south to Fish Town, the capital of River Gee County. Finally, to get to the village of Tugbaken, I still needed an hour and a half ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi on a path that took me off the main road and into bush that I'd never seen before.
Plan on a little more than three days of travel.
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It's really hard to imagine a place like Tugbaken. It was like stepping into a National Geographic magazine. There were about twenty homes in the village. If you walked to the village from the main road, it would take an hour and a half. And, the main road is where the closest town is that has any kind of shopping for any supplies.
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© Photo by Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
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Tugbaken has no running water. The community shares one well for clean drinking water. There are no shops. There is no clinic. There is no doctor. If you need any kind of medicine, go to Daniel Copeland's home. An NGO supplied him with a five-gallon bucket filled with an assortment of medications. Hopefully, maybe, you'll find what you need for a small price.
Many Liberians in the interior of the country are subsistence rice farmers. They have what is called "hunger season". That's when the rice from the last harvest has run out and the next crop of rice is not yet ready to be harvested. It's a real season in Liberia. And, it is only compounded by the poor roads that turn to mud in the rainy season, cutting off supplies for two or three months of the year.
Many Liberians in the interior of the country are subsistence rice farmers. They have what is called "hunger season". That's when the rice from the last harvest has run out and the next crop of rice is not yet ready to be harvested. It's a real season in Liberia. And, it is only compounded by the poor roads that turn to mud in the rainy season, cutting off supplies for two or three months of the year.
Help Teachers Expand Their School in Africa
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Tugbaken shares an elementary school with the neighboring village, Parken, which is a three-minute walk away. The school has no government support. There are no NGOs that assist the school. The buildings are constructed by adobe bricks and have zinc rooftops.
Daniel Copeland, teacher and principal, said that it was the teachers who constructed the school. In all my travels around the world, I've never heard of teachers building their own school. I spoke with Principal Daniel Copeland about the needs of the community. It could be a long list, but he mentioned two things:
Surprisingly, one small piece of technology is used throughout the village - very small solar panels generate light in homes at night. It was not requested, but I'd like to see large solar panels at the school to light the very dark classrooms 
© Graphics and Photos by Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
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What Can You Do to Help?
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| help_teachers_build_school_and_clinic_4-12-2016_africa.pdf |
| teachers_need_medical_supplies_4-12-2016_8_.pdf |
© Photo by Phillip Martin
 © Photos by Phillip Martin
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Nobody welcomes you like
the Grebo people Across Africa, if you are truly welcomed, you're presented with a rooster, a symbol of wisdom. When you accept the bird, you raise it to your forehead. The first sound you hear in the morning is a rooster. And, by raising that rooster to your head, the hosts acknowledge your wisdom. They will listen to you just like they do that rooster. But in Liberia, guests are also greeted with kola nut and hot pepper. I've live in Africa for six years and seen these presentations. But, I never had a one in my honor. That is, until I visited Tugbaken. In less than twenty-four hours, I was welcomed with five kola nut ceremonies, four chickens and an African gowning ceremony. |
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