Meet Helen Roberts-Evans

Helen Roberts-Evans, missionary

                                             
Helen Roberts-Evans...She's a woman we will be getting to know much better in the very near future as she will be the local host for a team of teachers preparing to go to Liberia during July 2014.   Helen lived in the Chicago area for much of her life and continues her membership in the Evanston UMC.   However, Helen wanted to come back to her roots in Liberia.   After employment and being a mission volunteer in the United States, she has become a General Board of Global MInistries missionary serving in her country of birth with responsibility of the leading/resourcing the United Methodist Schools.   She currently is responsible for 62 schools around the country of Liberia.  We will be working closely with Helen to prepare for a mission team consisting of teachers to travel to Liberia next year to spend time with teachers who are eager to learn and do their very best for the students in their schools.   Planning a collaborative type training session where both Liberian teachers and teachers from Indiana can bring information to the table for discussion is desire.  If you know some teacher who might want to be part of this mission, please let the National/International mission team know of the interest and area of expertise.  



This is a photo of students in morning devotion at the school.

Helen included in a recent communication information which will give us all some idea of the issues for the teachers, students and parents in Liberia.   Helen writes:

 But one does not need to leave the greater Monrovia area to find homes and schools without toilets or other modern conveniences. In fact, of the 1.2 million residents of Monrovia, less than 2% have running water.  The Evelyn S. Chapman Memorial United Methodist Elementary School was initiated by the members of the New Georgia United Methodist Church (my church home in Liberia) in the New Georgia Estate, Gardnersville Township outside of central Monrovia. The church broke ground for the school in 2008 and it is steadily growing.  From 2008 to 2012, the congregation locally raised US$45,670.00 of the US$66,530.00 spent on the construction of the school building.  Now in its third year, the school has an enrollment of 350 students from the New Georgia Estate community. Although students are in class and attending the school, they do not have toilet facilities.  They are hoping to raise an additional $3,500 for the completion of a  lavatory at the school.  

It is difficult for us to wrap our heads around building an elementary school for $66,530 let alone to have students attending the school for 3 years without restroom facilities.  I have little doubt they will reach their goal and get those restrooms built before the end of the school year. 

Added note:  Bob Coolman, CEO and Administrator for Operation Classroom indicated that the Evelyn S. Chapman Memorial United Methodist Elementary School is currently not one of the Operation Classroom schools.  There is a plan developing whereby this school will be added to to list of OC connected schools.  Bob indicated Evelyn S. Chaplin School is  one of the most successful UM schools in raising their own funding to operate the school.