BUTTERFLY SCHOOL and
KOKON SCHOOL, LIBERIA

Following a tip from a former colleague who had visited Liberia, we made a trip there to meet the French couple Lisa and Rudolph. Rudolph was born and raised in Liberia by French parents, and Rudolph and Lisa have lived in Liberia with their family for 15 years. They have built a number of holiday resorts and a wildlife rehoming centre, and they primarily employ local staff. They have also founded two schools in villages near the capital Monrovia. It is the schools we are interested in.

Butterfly School was completed a few years ago and about 250 children attend it, the younger ones in the morning and the older ones in the afternoon. More and more children are flocking to it, and Lisa is currently raising money to build a second school building.

The school in Kokon, located on a peninsula outside Monrovia, has just been completed and classes started in January 2025. The school will initially accept 120 children, but Lisa expects that the number will soon increase.

It is a challenge to attract teachers to the school as there are no roads to the villages on the peninsula, only a boat connection that Rudolph has built.

The school building is very simple with cement floors and no windows. However, there is a toilet (which is unusual), a septic tank behind the school and a three-chamber system. Rudolph is very protective of the environment and tries to use natural systems in his buildings as much as possible.

There are several improvements that can be made, such as laying tiles on the floor in the classrooms, toilets at both schools to make cleaning easier, and a playground.

SAS YOU ASSIST decided to support the project with funds for fencing around the entire area, which was felt to be the most urgent at the moment.