The Importance Of A Public Library for Liberia
Can a country prosper or sustain herself without an educated workforce? Is it possible to survive in this 21st century without being able to read and write even at the basic level? These were some of the questions we asked ourselves when we embarked on the idea of forming YesLiberia to help fill several basic voids in Liberia. Many children and adults in Liberia are asking themselves these questions constantly.
History states that freed slaves from the United States returned to Liberia to help build or develop the country by setting up a government system with clear democratic laws and processes, build schools, roads, hospitals, etc. Apparently, library was not on the list as a necessity for building a sustainable society—a mistake that has been repeated by more than 24 presidents for over 163yrs. Today, Liberia, one of Africa’s first independent nations, still lacks public libraries, let alone a library system. Although the interest to learn is at an unimaginable level amongst many Liberians, the lack of public libraries in the country will continue to hinder educational growth in Liberia. According to Lady Bird Johnson “perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library… for the only entrance requirement is interest.” For these reasons, YesLiberia intends to build a self-sustaining public library to accommodate and service over 2500 people per day.
This is certainly a challenge we cannot accomplish by ourselves, but children may sit in a single library and yet be in all quarters of the globe. This fact is the driving force behind our efforts to fulfill this dream. With your help we can meet this goal and enhance the lives of many children for decades to come.
