2020 to 2026
Projects
What the association has funded and built in Grandcess, and what is under way now.
Project Light Up Grandcess, 2021
A clean source of energy to light the city of Grandcess, reducing the use of kerosene lamps for light and candles in study areas.
How it was done
United Grandcess Community Inc. partnered with Grandcess City to identify funding strategies, resources and a technical team in the United States, Monrovia and Grandcess. Members donated funds to cover the cost, transportation and installation of the lights. Individuals and groups in Liberia pledged and assisted with travelling expenses.
155
solar lights on the streets and in study areas
$18,000
fundraising goal set for the 2021 installation
Stakeholders
United Grandcess Community
Funding, technical team and coordination
Grandcess City, Liberia
Local government partner
Grandcess Youth Organization
Community mobilisation
Grandcess Women's Organization
Community mobilisation
GDP
Partner organisation
Long term goal
A reliable supply of energy for schools, for students to use at home, for community water access through a solar water pump, and for the community centre and training areas.
Why solar
Solar energy is the most sustainable and affordable option available to Grandcess today.
A World Bank report on Liberia's energy sector found that access to healthcare, education and basic utilities such as energy is particularly low compared with the rest of the region, and that the share of Liberians living on less than two dollars a day was rising rather than falling. The government is working to increase electricity supply, but access and affordability remain a challenge for many citizens.
A review of the sector published by USAID Power Africa notes that the government's 2030 targets concentrate on Monrovia, with a much smaller share of access planned for the rest of the country. Grandcess is not near Monrovia, so the grid is unlikely to reach it soon. The report also names a weak public utility carrying high tariffs and high commercial losses, and an off grid sector still in its infancy.
Grandcess Vo-Tech initiatives, 2020 to 2024
Preparatory programs that moved students and young adults into vocational and technical career pathways across Liberia.
Programming emphasised project based learning and training for entry level skills in the construction trades and the service industry, aimed at youth, women and others living in under resourced communities in Grand Kru County.
Training places funded
Monrovia Vocational Training Center
Young adults selected by a committee in Grandcess trained in carpentry, masonry, drafting, plumbing, electrical work and information technology. All were high school graduates, and all were expected to return to Grandcess and work alongside their peers for at least three years.
Summer Bridge Vo-Tech
A bridge program for rising high school freshmen entering P.G. Wollo and St. Patrick's High Schools, combining mathematics, reading and writing workshops with exposure to computers and to the trades. Carpentry and masonry were the focus for 2020.
Learn Kru 101, 2026
A six week virtual learning program built to expose children and adults to the Kru language.
Students learn everyday greetings and expressions of the Kru language spoken across West Africa, and particularly by the people of Grandcess. Customs, traditions and history are carried through every session.
What it sets out to do
Language acquisition
Basic vocabulary, greetings, conversational expressions and simple phrases.
Cultural understanding
The customs, traditions and history of Grandcess, to foster cultural pride and identity.
Legacy and empowerment
A stronger bond between Kru communities in the United States and Liberia across generations.
The New Cess School Project
Replacing the corrugated zinc building that serves the children, adults and elders of New Cess with a six classroom school.
The school in use today
New Cess Public School as designed
