A chance encounter meant that I attended a talk a couple of sundays ago about a NGO in Liberia called 'Rebuild Africa'. Despite its title, the organisation's work is solely in a few communities in Liberia. I was really struck by the way the program addresses what they call the pre-war child, the post-war child and young leaders, with separate projects designed for each situation; education, vocational training and mentoring respectively. Here is an organisation that has spent a lot of time considering the social issues, and what these children and youth most need.
The founder, Bill, showed us how much the program has progressed in the few years since it started - youth trained in the construction trade are being employed on graduating from their program, and in turn, more affordable homes are being built and made available. Entrepreneurship and 'holistic leadership' are also greatly emphasised in the education and mentoring programs. I love the fact that they have set up 'a rigorous program of education, training, mentoring, and practical hands-on experience'. Sounds like the Fellowship! And also like the more dynamic project-based learning experiences that we are investigating in community arts programs, as opposed to more conventional models of education. Bill talked about many challenges for the program, one of which being the ability of the teachers to be counsellors to the children who have undergone much trauma due to the civil war. This leads me back to think about how music has the potential to facilitate the healing process, minister to our emotional needs, and provide a platform to resolve conflicts...
http://www.rebuildafrica.org/
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