I woke up covered in mosquito bites. Our tent is broken, and the mosquito net over our Tent isn’t sufficient to protect us against those clever creatures. They manage to find their way through the smallest holes and suck our blood like thirsty little vampires…. if this night didn’t catch malaria then when?
For breakfast, we had some oatmeal, followed by a tour of the school with Moses and his wife.

The school is a large hall divided into multiple rooms, with a hallway featuring cracked and worn-out walls that have rough, unfinished surfaces. The ceiling is in a state of disrepair, with rusted metal sheets and exposed wooden beams. There are sections that are partially collapsed, posing a risk of falling at any moment.

Moses and his wife are struggling to keep their school running. The cost of education in Liberia is around 35 USD per year. Many families cannot afford this, so they do not send their children to school; instead, the children work, selling food or washing cars on the street.Moses goes to these families and encourages them to send their children to school, even if they don’t have the money. It’s important for the children to maintain the experience of attending school, even though the education system is collapsing. Teachers earn, at best, 50 USD a month in public schools, and there is no functioning curriculum or support to help them deal with various situations.

The education system in Liberia faces several significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, a shortage of trained teachers, and limited access to learning materials. Many schools, particularly in rural areas, operate under poor conditions, overcrowded classrooms and insufficient resources.

The country follows a 6-3-3-4 education system, which consists of six years of primary school, three years of junior high, three years of senior high, and four years of university education. In this context, private initiatives play a crucial role in improving the educational landscape. Instiatives like Moses are stepping in to fill gaps left by the government, providing necessary support and resources where they are most needed. Their efforts highlight the importance of community-driven solutions, especially as government initiatives often lack the desired impact. Despite ongoing challenges, these private initiatives are essential for advancing access to quality education, particularly for girls and children in remote communities.

We said goodbye and continued on to Monrovia to meet our host, Daniel.

Shortly after entering the city, we saw the first supermarket we had encountered in a long time since being in Guinea. We bought some items, but the prices were outrageous. I found myself questioning who can afford these prices, how people manage to buy what they need, how they live, and what they eat.

Daniel welcomed us into his private home and insisted on giving us his own room, even though we later learned that he was sleeping in the corridor outside. He has a large family living with him, including his mother, sisters, and nephews, all of whom were very welcoming.On our first day, we focused on self-care: washing all our clothes, taking a shower, having some food, and then going for a walk by the ocean before heading back to sleep.

In Liberia, we began to understand what it means to be in a tropical area. It’s always hot and humid, even at night, with temperatures consistently around 35°C during the day and 29°C at night. We had a fan in the room, but there was little electricity most of the time. Liberia gets its electricity from Ivory Coast, but the infrastructure doesn’t allow for widespread distribution of Ivorian electricity. Liberians have adapted to the heat and often go to bed around 1 AM, sleeping only for a few hours.

Daniel volunteers at the church, but each family member attends a different church on Sunday. The preparation for this day was an experience I had never encountered before. They were all dressed to the nines in their finest clothes, and the scents of perfume filled the air.

We took public transportation to the city center for a walk before visiting Daniel at the Sunday service.

Liberia ranks low on the corruption index, yet you see advertisements everywhere.

It’s Sunday morning, and the streets are empty. Everyone is in church.

The Edward J. Roye Building stands as a haunting reminder of Liberia’s brutal civil war. Once a symbol of power, it now lies in ruins, its shattered windows and crumbling walls bearing the scars of conflict. The war began in 1989 when Charles Taylor’s rebels rose against President Samuel Doe, fueled by years of corruption and ethnic tensions.

Liberia plunged into chaos, with violence, child soldiers, and mass suffering. The Roye Building became a battleground, occupied by militias and echoing with gunfire. Today, its abandoned shell serves as a painful reminder of the past and a symbol of Liberia’s struggle to rebuild.

We took the Tuktuk to the church to meet Daniel, then went to have launched together.

Food prices in Liberia are outrageous, with even basic meals costing far more than expected. Restaurants, often owned by Lebanese people, dominate the scene, and the prices are shocking, even when compared to Berlin. A simple falafel sandwich, considered street food in Lebanon, costs around $12 in Liberia, which feels absurd. I was curious to experience where the locals eat, but Daniel took us to many places that weren’t local at all. Finally, we went to a local restaurant for lunch, but it still felt like a place for privileged people. The high prices in the city are really driving me crazy.

we went back home, started a photo session, people really like being photographed in Liberia.

The afternoon I spent trying to understand the game that children were playing outside. children don’t have phones or any kind of digital influence. The only games they play are invented from their surroundings.

In this game, children use plastic bottle caps as the main object to hit a small rounded rock. The goal is for the players to kick or hit the cap so that it strikes the small rock and sends it rolling toward the goal, which is typically made from sardine cans or other makeshift materials. To score, the player needs to carefully aim and hit the cap in such a way that it makes contact with the small rock and moves the rock into the goal.

The game is based on skill and precision, requiring the player to control the movement of the small rock by hitting the cap at the right angle and force.

I tried to find the name of the game but the closet what I could find was call Carrom

“We usually cook for the family that host us for more than one day as a way to say thank you. One day is not enough time to shop for and prepare a meal. However, the family really didn’t enjoy the pasta because it wasn’t spicy enough.