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UN agencies finish rebuilding over a dozen schools in Liberia

UN agencies finish rebuilding over a dozen schools in Liberia

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Two United Nations agencies today announced that they have completed the rehabilitation and refurbishment of 13 government schools in four Liberian counties.

With more than $500,000 from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) its partner, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) undertook the rehabilitation work, which ranged from repairing walls, roofs, and installing windows and doors to building a brand new schoolhouse in Kpotomai, Lofa County.

“Rural schools in Liberia suffered acute damage as a result of war,” said Wendy MacClinchy, Country Coordinator of UNOPS in Liberia. “Some of these schools were badly damaged with collapsed walls, no roof, or their physical structure was completely destroyed. What could be more important for Liberia’s development than making sure its children have good schools to learn in? It was also terrific to work with UNICEF in making a difference in the lives of so many Liberian children, and for generations to come.”

Counties benefiting from the physical rehabilitation and refurbishing of schools were Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Montserrado, and Nimba. With the exception the Dinplay Public School in Dinplay, Nimba County, which is nearing completion, all of the rehabilitated schools have been turned over to Government authorities and are currently being used for instructional purposes.

“This is an outstanding partnership between two United Nations agencies,” said Dr. Bjorn Forssen, UNICEF Liberia Officer-in-Charge. “UNICEF and UNOPS have worked together on similar projects in Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka and we’re very pleased that through this partnership we are able to improve the learning environment for Liberia’s kids.”

UNICEF is also funding UNOPS to complete the rehabilitation of four police stations in Bomi, Margibi, and Montserrado Counties and 15 healthcare clinics in Lofa and Maryland Counties.

The problem of development challenges facing Liberia was one of the “Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About” list released by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) earlier this week.

In spotlighting the need to rebuild war-ravaged Liberia, DPI noted: “The importance of this undertaking is hard to overestimate since any progress towards greater stability and security depends on how quickly basic services are restored and the economic engine restarted.”