The Challenge

The education system of Liberia lags many other African nations, due to the country’s prolonged and brutal civil wars and the outbreak of the Ebola virus. Schools are overpopulated and many children, especially orphans, the poor, and the less fortunate lack access to education. According to USAID, the Primary School Net Enrollment Rate, the percentage of primary-age students attending elementary school grades, is 44 percent. With only 44 percent of school-age children enrolled in primary school, there is a massive need to support underprivileged children and orphans’ education.

Approximately 80% of Liberia’s population lives in rural communities where there is barely primary education. Children graduating from primary schools have no means of furthering their education, except they relocate to urban Liberia which is not affordable for their parents. For many of these children who happen to be the next generation, the only option they have is to become farmers or marry and have children at a young age.

Access To

Education

For the past five years, the Delano King Foundation has done its best to help underprivileged children and orphans receive an education. This is achieved through The Delano King Foundation Africa Orphans Scholarship, which empowers orphans and less fortunate children by supporting the costs of their elementary and secondary education. Our end goal is to integrate these children into the community and inspire leadership.

Our Efforts

The Delano King Foundation Education Project has supported Liberian students for more than five years, leading the movement to ensure that education based on Godly principles helps youth and their families thrive for a better tomorrow. Scholarship recipients include orphaned and less fortunate students who demonstrate academic achievement and a strong potential to succeed. The scholarship also provides physical and spiritual mentorship, intending to help students get support and assistance with their study of various subjects and establish a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We work to increase access to quality education for marginalized children, particularly adolescent orphans living in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Our programs provide tailored solutions to students facing multiple barriers to education to acquire relevant skills, creating opportunities for positive transitions to secondary school and dignified livelihoods. Our integrated approach is based on extensive research on what works to increase marginalized orphans’ learning outcomes, retention, and well-being.

We put orphans and less fortunate children at the center of our programs and build a supportive environment for them in the community and at school. At the individual level, Delano King Foundation helps the sponsored student(s) develop their academic competencies alongside leadership and life skills, raising their confidence and voices. At the community level, we work with parents and traditional and religious leaders to shift negative gender and social norms affecting education outcomes, increasing support for children’s education and active participation in school.