Our mission is to build and maintain a self-sustaining school that continually engages the community in its goals and growth. We will focus on both the development of our students and their families as we empower our students to become builders and leaders of their communities, prepare families to raise healthy and educated children, and empower women to make choices about their futures and families.

The Mentee Educational Foundation is committed to providing comprehensive education to Liberian children, regardless of their income level. We are building the Kakata Community School in Kakata, Liberia. The school will be free to all students attending, unlike the current public school system. The school will be open to both boys and girls and will reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of the surrounding area. Because the need for early childhood education is greatest in Liberia, the Kakata Community School will concentrate on providing an excellent foundation of schooling at the first and second grade level. As the students progress through each grade level, the school will grow to offer additional levels of schooling.

Our name honors the legacy of Samuel J. Mentee, who influenced the development of Liberia's educational system throughout the latter part of the twentieth century. To learn more about Samuel J. Mentee, read Our Story.

Education:

The Kakata Community School will incorporate the curriculum published by the Liberian Ministry of Education, but will also include subjects such as music, home economics, art, and international education. By including a wide range of subjects, we hope to achieve deeper learning that touches on all student learning styles, interests, and talents. A comprehensive curriculum and a broad education will encourage student excitement for learning and attract talented teachers to the school.

Teachers:

Working in tandem with Stephanie Vickers, the president of the non-profit organization Friends of Liberia, our school will actively recruit a talented pool of teachers to facilitate learning at the Kakata Community School. We intend to provide our teachers and students with the tools to build better communities by expanding on the training that our educators have already received. In particular, the school will adopt the LEAP teacher-training program, which focuses on providing teachers with the tools necessary to build an interactive and hands-on learning environment. We hope to expand the number of teachers each year as students progress through grades.

School Building:

We are committed to constructing buildings that are environmentally sustainable and maintained by local community members. We plan to construct our buildings utilizing local labor and materials whenever possible, providing jobs and enhancing community investment in the school, as well as reducing transportation costs and environmental impact. In addition, the design of the buildings will optimize the use of natural sunlight and build on the existing structures on the property, further reducing our environmental impact.