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Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Recognizing the need for educational facilities
in one such Liberian refugee community, Focus on Kidz founded a branch
along the Ivory Coast and spent the better part of its first year encouraging,
educating and providing for the families in Abidjan. The greatest need
was a school for the children, many of whom were made orphans by the
war and have been on their own for the last 8 or 9 years. Focus on Kidz's
involvement in this community has surpassed its initial goal to merely
instruct; they have become involved in helping rebuild the lives of
people whose future would otherwise be grim. Gold at the End of the Rainbow Academy The Liberian refugees who have settled in small villages along Côte d'Ivoire face discrimination and have difficulty finding work. As a result, they are extremely poor and their children unwelcome in the Ivorian schools. However, after learning that the children were not receiving an education of any kind, a group of young African men dropped out of college to build schools and become teachers. When Linda Perfilio heard that these good men had forfeited their own education to help her community's children, she established seminars and six-week education courses for the young teachers, using materials she has gleaned over the years. Consequently, all involved (children and teachers) received an education!
Such was the genesis of the Rainbow Academy. The curriculum of the Rainbow Academy includes courses in character building and family values, and computer classes for the high-school seniors. In June of 2001, the new Akouédo Rainbow Academy was made possible by converting old, abandoned buildings into larger teaching facilities. The unstable political and business climate on the Ivory Coast makes it difficult for Focus on Kidz to approach the business community for donations to restore the school. Nevertheless, with the financial support of friends and capital gathered on a fundraising trip to Japan, Focus acquired the resources necessary to buy supplies, finish the restoration work, and pay the teachers' salaries through the end of the school year.
June 16, 2001, marked a dual victory for the Academy
as they celebrated student graduations and the inauguration of
the new building! Truly an improvement over the previous facility
(which had only four useable classrooms), this beautiful structure
has a new roof, floors, doors, windows and a walkway, and the
12 classrooms are equipped with new desks, blackboards, cupboards,
and other supplies. The finishing touch-a large rainbow (the school's
logo) painted on the front of the building-was applied by the
sister of a Focus volunteer arriving from Australia. It was a
landmark occasion for all, thanks to the hands-on participation
and generous contributions of the sponsors who make it possible
for these students to excel in a proper school environment.
Never before has any individual or group worked so diligently to help the Liberian community here in Côte d'Ivoire. With sincere gratitude, these people have asked us to underscore the fact that the Rainbow Academy is now the nicest facility in all of the Liberian refugee communities along the Côte d'Ivoire! This has not only provided better facilities for the current students, but has also elevated the Academy's status as a proper and upstanding school. As a result, the income generated from future tuition will help the Academy to become self-sustaining in the years to come.
The Liberian children have become a very real part of the Focus family. Now that the school's renovation is complete, the Focus on Kidz staff continue to support the school property, purchase recreational and sports equipment, and pay the tuition of many students whose parents cannot afford the fee.
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