Foundations
5 courses · 12 lessons of 60 minutes each · a 4-week community project. Runs without electricity.
Community Education Foundation · Liberia
Building pathways from education to opportunity.
We work with communities in Liberia to build schools that connect quality education with practical skills, technology and real routes into further study, work and enterprise.
Why CEF exists
A young person's circumstances should not decide their future
CEF was founded because too many young Liberians either never reach a classroom or leave school without the skills to build a livelihood. This short film explains why we started, the challenges we set out to address and the mission that guides every school we build.
- The challengeDistance, cost and barriers facing girls keep many young people out of school, and much schooling is disconnected from work.
- Our responseCommunity schools that connect quality education with practical skills, technology and real opportunity.
- Our missionTo equip young people in underserved communities with quality education, practical skills and pathways to higher education, entrepreneurship, employment and sustainable livelihoods.
Who we are
More than a school. A path to a future.
Community Education Foundation (CEF) is a registered social enterprise expanding access to quality education, 21st-century skills and opportunities for young people in underserved communities across Liberia.
We believe education, practical skills and meaningful opportunities are essential to breaking cycles of poverty, so every school we build connects learning to higher education, technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship and employment.
Read our story
Programs
Seven connected areas of learning
Each area reinforces the others, so a school becomes a platform for skills, health, innovation and community development.
Quality Education
Expanding access to foundational and secondary education in underserved communities, with clear pathways to higher learning.
Learn moreGirls' Education and Empowerment
Expanding opportunities for girls facing poverty, teenage pregnancy, early marriage and limited access to learning resources.
Learn moreSTEM, Technology and AI
Developing scientific thinking, digital literacy, creativity and problem-solving, and promoting responsible use of emerging technologies to improve learning and address local challenges.
Learn moreEntrepreneurship and Innovation
Helping young people turn ideas into solutions and economic opportunities that serve their communities.
Learn moreHealth and Well-being
Promoting physical and mental health as foundations for learning and growth.
Learn moreClimate Action and Agriculture
Building knowledge and skills for environmental sustainability and resilient agriculture.
Learn moreTechnical and Vocational Education and Training
Providing practical, market-relevant skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
Learn moreSee all programs
How each area works in a CEF school.
View programsThe CEF Pathway
A two-level pathway from school to life
Level 1 Foundations teaches STEM, climate action, agriculture, health and well-being, and mental health. Level 2 Skills Academy leads into five career-linked tracks.
Schools, training centres and youth organizations anywhere in Liberia can ask CEF to train their teachers or deliver the CEF Pathway and its tracks at their school.
Skills Academy
5 tracks · 12 workshops of 90 minutes · skill badges, a capstone project and a CEF certificate.
Impact to date
From one community visit to two schools
10,000+Community members reached through skills development and pathway programs
605Students enrolled across two schools
25Communities served
2Counties reached
2Schools
67Workforce members, including teachers
$47,000Raised in grants
$17,000Generated in earned revenue
Figures as reported by Community Education Foundation. See our impact
How we work
Five steps, built with the community
Listen
We engage young people, families and community leaders to understand local needs.
Co-create
Communities contribute land and labour where possible; CEF mobilises resources and partners.
Establish
Together we build schools and learning environments that respond to local needs.
Learn and build skills
Classroom education connects to STEM, TVET, health, climate action and enterprise.
Open pathways
Learners move on to higher education, vocational careers, employment or their own business.
More films
CEF in a few minutes
Two more short films: who we are, and how the CEF model works.
Girls' education
Every girl in school. Every girl a leader.
Our founder started this work after his sister left school because of teenage pregnancy. Today we support girls facing poverty, early marriage and limited resources to stay in school, build confidence and pursue STEM, vocational training and higher education.
Girls' Education and EmpowermentStart small, start now, and build solutions with the people who need them most.
The principle that guides CEF
Get involved
Four ways to make a difference
Sponsor a student
Keep a young person in school and on a path to further study, a trade, a job or a business.
Student Sponsorship PortalDonate
Help us run our schools, train teachers and give young people practical skills.
Contact us to givePartner with us
Foundations, businesses, universities and diaspora networks can help bring the model to more communities.
Start a conversationSchedule a visit
See a CEF campus for yourself or, as a sponsor, meet your student and their family.
Plan your visit