The Brighter Initiatives for Revitalization and Development (BIRD-Liberia) is a not-for-profit advocacy group that serves the Gardnerville Township in Liberia. BIRD-Liberia is a donor and volunteer-driven organization that partners with local and international organizations to assist in moving marginalized communities from dependency to self-sufficiency.

Observing a skill gap among the youth of the community the organization serves, BIRD-Liberia administrators noted the difficulty of job-seekers in meeting the modern communication requirement of their jobs. Accordingly, the group proposed to undertake a three-month project: Gender, Youth and Children Educational Skill Training in Information Technology. “Many of our youth do not have basic (computer) training . . . and as a result, there is a serious challenge (for) Liberia when it comes to modern technology usage,” the administration noted.

Through a donation from Anike Foundation, BIRD-Liberia was able to purchase four used computers and a printer and hire a facilitator to conduct three months of intensive computer training for more than 130 community participants. Beneficiaries of the intensive training were able to learn Introduction to Computing, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Access, as well as several other computer programs. BIRD-Liberia volunteers hope that through this training, program participants are empowered to improve their power of communication through the use of information technology.

Further to the organization’s goal of assisting in the self-sufficiency of its community, BIRD-Liberia recognized training participants with a certificate of completion for the program and training program T-shirt. Anike Foundation is proud to be a sponsor of this project.

Congratulations to BIRD-Liberia on a successful program and congratulations to the Gender, Youth and Children Educational Skill Training graduates!