On 16 May 2024, a donation ceremony was held in Paynesville, Liberia to celebrate The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donation to the Pipeline Public School. The Church completely renovated the classroom block and provide much needed supplies for the school. The donation ceremony took place on the campus of the school in the Pipeline community of Paynesville.
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The Pipeline Public School is the only Ministry of Education (MOE) government facility operating in that community, a densely populated area located in the suburb of Monrovia.
Attending the ceremony were representatives from the Ministry of Education, community and traditional leaders, the school’s parent and teacher organization, school staff and administration, and the student body.
The Honorable David V. Boakai, the County Education Officer, thanked the church for affording the students the opportunity to learn in a clean, and well-kept facility. “The renovated building will boost the learning process for these students to a much higher level,” he said during his remarks.
Boakai challenged the community and the school’s staff and administration to continually maintain the newly renovated building. “We must maintain this building to a high standard so that we always attract students with a desire for learning. Let's help maintain this building so that when the church returns or send someone to monitor this building, the things they have provided here will still be in top condition.”
Representing the Church of Jesus Christ was Elder Lee Trapani and Sister Cheryl Trapani, humanitarian missionaries assigned to Liberia. During his remarks, Elder Trapani outlined the renovations to the building and shared with the community the items donated as well. “The Church replaced the entire roof on the building, installed an electrical system in each of the rooms including providing light bulbs and plugs, increased the security wall, installed barbed wire on the top and painted it, and replaced all the doors and locks on the school,” he said.
As part of the donation, the Church resurfaced the playground area, and purchased desks and filing cabinets for the school administrators. They also provided tables and chairs and placed tiles on the floors of the younger student’s classrooms. New desks were provided for the remaining classrooms as well.
The principal of the Pipeline Public School, James Gbelee, thanked the Church for helping elevate the school and the quality of education that it can provide. He hopes soon to bring the school to a High School level so that students would not have to travel to receive education beyond the Junior High School level.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to grow in Liberia. Currently there are 22,000 members of the Church throughout the country, meeting in 80 separate congregations. The Church continues to focus on humanitarian efforts in the country, having donated over $23 million to various projects. They have also partnered with the World Food Programme to provide agriculture skills to community members throughout Liberia.