RIZE Up 4 Education

01/27/2023

Finally an update on the new school in Zoewulum! It turns out that getting the curriculum to Liberia and getting it printed and into the teachers' hands was more cumbersome and time consuming than we had figured.

The well and pump have not been completed yet for lack of a means to transport the needed sand from the river to the school. All materials for the well project are onhand and volunteer labor will complete that project as soon as they are able to get the sand to the well site.

Please enjoy the curriculum pictures and know that you have played a major role in getting these educational materials into the hands of teachers and students that will greatly enhance their education experience.

09/02/2022

FINALLY! AN UPDATE!!! September 1, 2022

We have not reported to you for some weeks now regarding the progress of construction of the new school in Zoewulum, River Cess County, Liberia. Our Project Manager Milton Zeon has basically been living in Zoewulum to oversee and manage the construction project and this has been a real hardship for he and his family in Buchanan, in Grand Bassa County. While they are not terribly far apart if you could go by airplane or helicopter, it is very far away by vehicle, due to the horrible road conditions and the various and expensive modes of transportation. 

The sad reason that we have not been keeping you updated is because Milton’s wife Elizabeth fell deathly ill and nearly died, and of course he had to return to Buchanan to be with her and their children. Thankfully, VERY thankfully, Elizabeth is still with us, and she has now, miraculously fully recovered (THANK YOU JESUS!) and Milton is back on the ground in Zoewulum for the final push to complete construction and opening of the school. 

Milton also serves as President of the local school board and is directing the establishment of procedures for the operation of the school when it opens in September. Yes, it is September 1st as I write this update, so we are getting very close. Milton also had to travel to Cestos City, the capital of River Cess County and to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia to take care of all of the necessary paperwork and see the accreditation process completed through the various offices of the Ministry of Education.

As you can see in the pictures, the construction of the building is nearing completion. 

Construction that is still underway includes the digging (by hand) of the well and installation of the concrete walls of the well and the industrial quality hand pump, which will assure the students have fresh water right there at the school. And this well will be a valuable resource to those who live near the school. Other things being built/constructed; The flagpole that will fly the Liberian flag and the desks and blackboards to furnish the classrooms. 

Several teachers have been hired, but the staff is not yet complete. The RIZE Education Committee will be sending the curriculum digitally to Liberia and where it will be printed locally. RIZE is also purchasing local text books, at a cost of $600, as required by the Liberia Ministry of Education.
So you can see, even though the construction of the building is complete and paid for, there are still significant expenses to complete the “project” as a whole and make it possible, later this month, for the students to enter their brand new, self-sustaining school, where there has never been a school. 

If you would like to make a donation to help us complete the process, you can use the PayPal feature at our website, www.therize.org, or you can mail your check or money order, made out to RIZE, to PO Box 303, Independence, Missouri, USA 64051. THANK YOU!

05/09/2022

WE ARE ALMOST THERE! But we need your help to cross the finish line and there are three more hurdles we must jump to finish this race!

#1 - There is corruption at some level in every government in the world, and Liberia is no exception. We feared this might happen, but there was no way to plan for it or prevent it. The school is almost finished as you can see in the pictures. The roof is on and they were in the process of installing the doors when "government officials" from the Liberian Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Education showed up to halt construction and levy "fines" known in some parts of the world as bribes, in the amount of $160 US to the "EPA" and $150 US to the "Ministry" of Education. The townspeople of Zoewulum, Juludoe and Topay, at great sacrifice to themselves, raised $110 US but that is not enough to satisfy these "government officials", so RIZE will have to come up with the balance of $200 US.

#2 - This is something we failed to plan or budget for also and we apologize to our donors and our partners in Zoewulum for that. This initial project has taught us a lot! We need to raise $2,500 to have a well dug (by hand) and a concrete lining, cement cap and a heavy duty hand pump installed. It is critical that fresh, clean water be avaialbe at the school and it will also benefit the local townspeople. Water for drinking, cooking, washing, etc has to be carried by five gallon buckets and other containers great distances. You can imagine how much water will be needed for 150 students and school staff.

#3 - The Restoration curriculum we are planning to provide will have to be printed in Liberia in quantity for the teachers and 150 students. This is an amazing opportunity to help 150 children receive an education in the Restoration Gospel while also learning reading, writing and arithmetic. We hope that the curriculum can be reproduced locally for $500 US. This is something we did plan and budget for, but we have not yet raised those needed funds. We have imposed a deadline on ourselves to have the curriculum ready by July 15th. This will allow for printing and dissemination to teaching staff so they can study and be prepared for the opening of the new school in September.

You can help by sending your tax deductible donation to;
RIZE
PO Box 303
Independence, MO 64051

VERY SOON you will be able to make donations via our PayPal feature at our website; www.therize.org

04/11/2022

Great progress at the new school in Zoewulum! The roof is going on this week!

02/22/2022

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02/19/2022

02/04/2022

As promised, here are some pics of the initial stages of construction now underway in Zoewulum Still hoping for more donations to help us reach our current goal of $2,000 to pay for additional building materials that will be needed later in the construction process, as well as to cover costs of the curriculum and school supplies for the kids. And above and beyond the $2,000 we would like to raise an additional $1,000 for a contingency fund to cover unexpected expenses between now and the opoening of the new school in September. The pictures are also a reminder of the tremendous physical labor being done by volunteers from Zoewulum, Juludoe and Topay towns in order to have a school for their children! PLEASE help us help them to be able to complete this project.

Additional evidence that progress is being made across this whole project. The school board has begun the hiring process for teachers and the first four teachers have been hired and we will introduce them to you in the near future.

01/26/2022

We can confirm that construction of the new Zoewulum Restoration Institute for Zionic Education School (ZoRIZE) has begun in earnest. Please check back often for continual updates, with photo support, coming very soon!!!

01/11/2022

NEWS ALERT!!!

CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK IN ZOEWULUM!

The people in Zoewulum, Juludoe and Topay have harvested the sand necessary to make the concrete for the concrete pillars to support the roof and to make the floor for the new school. To illustrate how hard they are working and how everything must be done by hand, we have attached a series of pictures of the sand harvesting operation. These guys enter snake infested waters and use shovels to scoop the sand into buckets. Carrying the buckets of sand on their heads they stockpile the sand in an area that can be accessed by truck. The sand is scooped into the truck by hand and then shoveled out of the truck in Zoewulum, at the site where the school will be built. The sand, cement (200 bags) and water will be mixed by hand as you can see in pictures posted during the block and brick making process. The concrete blocks and dead bricks have been manufactured. The building materials; zinc roofing, steel rebar, timbers for the roof, and cement will be delivered from Buchanan this Friday along with the professional builder who will direct the construction process.

We are approximately $2,000 short of our $12, 500 goal to complete the construction and provide curriculum for the teachers and school supplies for the students. We would like to gather an additional $1,000 for a contingency fund. The school is scheduled to open in September 2022.

Please help us reach our goal in time to launch the new school for the expected 150 students in grades 1 thru 6. Please mail your tax deductible donation to RIZE, PO Box 303, Independence, MO 64051.

12/01/2021

The folks in Zoewulum, Juludoe and Topay are still working on making building materials for the ZORIZE school!

09/09/2021

Just a brief update!

The concrete blocks have all been manufactured. The clearing of the land continues. Dead bricks are now being made (for the walls). Next is the timbers (lumber), for roof support (trusses), window frames, and doors and door frames. The people of Zoewulum, Juludoe and Topay are working hard to advance this project for their children and their communities in River Cess County.

The local school board has chosen the official name of the school; Zoewulum Restoration Institute for Zionic Education, (ZORIZE)!

Please keep those donations coming in, so together we can see this through to an awesome conclusion!

Please make your checks payable to: RIZE

Mail to;
RIZE
PO BOX 303
INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, USA 64051