Youth and Sports Expands Youth Literacy and Skills Program to Lofa County; About 300 Young People to Be Recruited.
Youth and Sports Expands Youth Literacy and Skills Program to Lofa County; About 300 Young People to Be Recruited.
PAYNESVILLE, Liberia – November 2, 2026: The Ministry of Youth and Sports officially introduced the Youth Community Literacy and Skills Training Program to Lofa County on October 31, 2026, expanding an initiative to equip out-of-school youth with reading, writing, numeracy, and practical skills.
Supported by the Luminos Fund since 2005, the program began in Nimba and Bong counties and has since spread to Margibi, Grand Kru, and Bomi. This year, it is being extended to Sinoe and Lofa counties, with a separate ministry team conducting a similar engagement in Sinoe at the same time.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Voinjama, Mr. Arkie Gailor, Assistant Director for Youth Development, explained that the engagement aims to officially present the program and secure county stakeholders' views, reception, approval, and support.
Mr. Gailor stressed that the program targets out-of-school children and youth who cannot read or write. He described the embarrassment many young people face when they must ask others to read for them at banks or while filling out forms, and said the program seeks to remove that shame.
He noted that the program was initially designed for ages 14 and below but has now been expanded to serve youth aged 15 to 35, particularly those who never attended school or dropped out very early. It offers functional literacy and numeracy, reading, writing, and basic calculation using a curriculum designed by experts in the United States but contextualized for Liberia with Liberian examples, which the Ministry of Education has approved.
He said the teaching method is practical and engaging rather than overly academic, noting that learners who once struggled with two or three words can now read 60 to 70 words and even help their children with homework.
The program will run for 6 months, with classes held for three hours per day, three days per week, to accommodate market vendors, farmers, and others with daytime obligations, and is completely free and will use existing school facilities during afternoon and evening hours.
Meanwhile, upon completion, learners will graduate with a certificate and transition to short-cycle skills training in areas such as soap making, tailoring, pastry and baking, and hairdressing. Participants must achieve 85 to 90 percent attendance in literacy to qualify for skills training, which carries a second certificate.
Under this first phase, the project expects to recruit about 300 young people from Voinjama and its surroundings, including teachers or trainers referred to as coaches.
Six institutions have been selected to host the Literacy program in Voinjama, Lofa County. The institutions are Voinjama Multilateral High School, Voinjama Free Pentecostal Mission High School, Lawalazu Public School (Lawalazu Town, District #4), St. Joseph Catholic School (Voinjama City), Kormah Shepherdhood School System (Voinjama City), and Champion of Faith Academy (Looking Town Community, Voinjama City)
