Belle Yella Campus
Goals:
Provide educational opportunities for 450 high school students
Location:
Town of Belle Yelle, a 12-hour walk to the nearest village
Infrastructure:
- Six-classroom high school for 400 students
Project Field Supervisor:
Moses Binda
More about Belle Yelle Vocational School:
American doctors who are personal friends of Liberian President Sirleas approached Solace about building a vocational school in the remote village of Belle Yelle. A symbol of Liberia’s dark past, Belle Yelle was where former regimes sent their political rivals to die. The nearest road access is a 12-hour walk through the jungle. The UN and other NGOs have not wanted to touch this project as they fear it is too remote.
Over 100 villagers and porters participated in moving supplies. Construction on the facility has been completed as of January 2009.
An agricultural and vocational program was created to teach local farmers how to rotate and increase crop variety, and reduce slash and burn tactics. Solace also helped create a green vocational program, teaching craftsman how to use materials from the nearby forest for carpentry and cottage industry with minimal impact to the ecosystem.