Nearly 700 pre-K through ninth-grade students at three schools in Liberia will have better educations and lives because of one church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Celebrate Church — a World Hope International faith-based partner since 2018 — contributed $500,000 over five years to make miracles possible in Liberia.

“If we’re going to really experience joy, then it’s not what we get,” said Keith Loy, founding senior pastor of Celebrate Church. “In fact, you could say this: I’m not sure that we really understand the Gospel if it doesn’t move us to give. I am convicted to believe that joy-filled living requires joy-filled giving.”

Members of Loy’s church experienced so much joy during its partnership that funded the Liberia School Support Project that they extended the church’s partnership with World Hope another five years.

To understand the transformation, one first must know the norms for Liberia’s children.

How Celebrate Church Partnered With WHI

World Hope International focuses on three schools in Liberia. Goals include increasing access to safe, quality education; improving infrastructure; and building teacher capacity. Celebrate Church stepped in as a partner to fill the additional needs through the Liberia School Support Project, which funded major renovations and construction at the three schools.  

School 1

Nine teachers instruct 235 students in pre-K through sixth grade at School 1, an L-shaped building with eight classrooms and two offices. Celebrate Church funded the school’s renovation and construction projects, including:

• Renovating the damaged roof.
• Casting the floor and plastering interior and exterior walls.
• Installing a new ceiling and tiles.
• Installing solar panels and a mini electrical system with lights in classrooms.
• Installing iron doors and window bars in a classroom and office.
• Constructing windows for classrooms and offices.
• Painting (interior and exterior).

In addition, Celebrate Church’s partnership furnished School 1 classrooms with 12 armless chairs, 12 tables, 60 desks and 80 armchairs.

School 3

Eight teachers instruct 250 students in Pre-K to ninth grade at “School 3.” The school had built new classrooms the previous year, but the classrooms lacked enough desks. Celebrate Church’s partnership also provided School 3 with 50 chairs.

SmartBox

In addition, schools 1 and 2 each received a new SmartBox system. School 3 demonstrated success with the SmartBox system during a pilot program the previous year. The digital learning system includes: a portable, lock-safe, heavy-duty, waterproof container; a server/router with one terabyte of storage; 20 Chromebook laptops; 20 headsets; and cords all set to charge from one plug. Also, a safety voltage regulator protects all equipment from power surges from local electric, generator or solar power. The SmartBox solves six challenges of schools in developing countries:

• No internet. An offline RACHEL server provides students a vast collection of curated content sent wirelessly to laptops.
• Limited electricity. The system runs on battery power the entire school day and recharges in four hours (generator or solar power).
• Textbook shortage. Students have access to a selection of books and learning resources.
• Lack of teachers. Students can use the SmartBox to learn even when the teacher is not available, and teachers can use it as a learning resource for themselves and for the students.
• Messy wiring runs. Gone are the tangle of cords.
• Security. The system can be locked and stored securely each evening. 

Teachers received three days of training on the system and immediately began using them with students.  

To learn how your faith-based, corporate or other organization can partner with World Hope and change lives like Celebrate Church continues to do in Liberia, please visit our partnership page.