Liberia: UN Troops Help Rebuild School

Liberia: UN Troops Help Rebuild School As Part Of Recovery Initiatives

In a move to support peace-building and recovery initiatives, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has commissioned a school building project was funded and built by Nigerian contingent troops as part of their community relations activities.

At Unification Town outside Monrovia on Wednesday at a ceremony that included traditional Nigerian performances and tree-planting by dignitaries, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative, Alan Doss, thanked the residents for their contributions to building the school. “Not only have you built a school building, but you have begun building the future of Liberia by investing in its most precious resource, its children, he said.

Mr. Doss also thanked the Nigerian contingent for their efforts. “I would like to praise you for your hard work and your financial contribution to this project,” he told them.

Lt.-Col. Y.M. Abubakar, the Nigerian Battalion Contingent Commander, explained that this project was made possible as a result of the financial contributions made by each of the 850 soldiers in this contingent and their desire to help the people of Liberia.

The new school building, consisting of two classrooms and an office, will increase the capacity of the Robertsfield Baptist Academy by up to 100 students.

This project is part of a larger Peace Building and Recovery Support Programme that UNMIL has coordinated with local authorities and communities which was established to support launch projects vital to improving lives and promoting recovery from years of conflict. So far, the Programme has facilitated projects in the areas of sanitation, agriculture, infrastructure, health, sports and education.

The development challenges facing Liberia were one of the “Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About” released by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) earlier this year.

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