La Verdad’s Free School Opens Branches in Ghana and Liberia
- April 20, 2012
- posted in News
To give non-Filipinos equal opportunities to free education, La Verdad Christian School’s two pioneering foreign branches in Ghana and Liberia in the African continent, were officially launched recently.
La Verdad’s free education program is spearheaded by a Filipino broadcast journalist Kuya Daniel Razon and Bro. Eli Soriano, Presiding Minister of Members Church of God International (MCGI).
When these new branches of La Verdad opened in 2011, the schools commenced with a total of115 kindergarten and grade school students enroled. From these, up to 99 students were enroled in Ghana while 16 in Liberia. One term in these schools is equivalent to three months. Basic academic subjects taught in the schools include English, Mathematics, Creative Arts, French, and Natural Science, to list a few.
Dan Lomboy, a coordinator for La Verdad in Ghana, disclosed that the establishment of the schools were prompted by the significant number of poor people in the countries asking for tuition fee assistance. Kuya Daniel Razon, together with Bro Eli, who learned of the predicament, immediately responded to the need to help.
Reports from the United Nation’s International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report that these African countries are two of those in sub-Saharan region where 43 percent of 67 million out-of-school children globally live.
In the Philippines alone, La Verdad supports the free education of 722 scholars, of which 350 are in college receiving zero-cost tuition and miscellaneous fees, free books, free meals, and free lodging. Transportation allowance and uniforms are also provided free.
La Verdad’s free education program started in 2009. To continuously support the program, Kuya Daniel launched charity events like basketball exhibition matches including Sing and Shoot and Hoopsters Meet The Legends, and marathons-for-a-cause Kahit Isang Araw Lang (Just One Day) Unity Run and Kahit Isang Araw Lang Takbo para sa Libreng Kolehiyo (Just One Day Run for Free College).
(Words by Hazel Chavez-David; Editing by Jane Abao)
