Kpoe Residents Launch Community-Built School Project in Rural Bong County

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ADNews-Bong County:  Residents of Kpoe Town in Electoral District#2 Bong County  have begun constructing an elementary school that community leaders say will serve more than 200 children who currently walk hours each day to attend classes in a neighboring town.

By Jangar Boimah Johnson

Speaking to Afric Daily Newspaper at the construction site, residents said the project is a grassroots initiative intended to ensure their children have access to education without trekking long distances. Kpoe, a remote community in District 2, has no school facility, forcing students to walk more than two hours daily to Gbarnquelleh to attend classes.

Cooper P. Kermue, chairman of the community’s school construction committee, said residents united after realizing the need for a local learning facility to keep children safe and closer to home.

“Our citizens decided to come together to build this school so our children will no longer walk long distances every day,” Kermue said, adding that community members often take on small contracts or self-imposed tasks to raise funds for the project.

The ongoing initiative has attracted widespread support from residents who say the long-awaited dream of having a school in Kpoe may soon become a reality.

Kermue called on Bong County authorities, particularly District Representative James Kolleh, as well as humanitarian organizations, to support the project to ensure timely completion.

The planned eight-classroom building is expected to accommodate more than 200 children from Kpoe and surrounding villages once completed.

At the construction site, another resident, Oreatha Kpangbah, said her children walk nearly two hours each day in search of an education. She described the burden parents face and stressed the urgency of completing the school.

“For too long our children have suffered just to get an education,” Kpangbah said. “This project is fully community-sponsored. We have been taking contracts just to raise money, but we need support from humanitarian groups and our leaders so the school can be finished before the next academic year.”

She said more than 50 children in the area remain out of school due to the long distance and their young ages.

Residents are appealing to the Liberian government and local leadership to help provide building materials or financial support to ensure the project’s completion.

Kpoe Town is located in Bong County’s Electoral District #2 and is represented at the 55th National Legislature by Rep. James Kolleh.