Liberian Learning Center
Liberian learning center
The Liberian Learning Center is a collaborative project led by Canadian charity Empowerment Squared in partnership with Rotary International, Rotary Club of Hamilton, Rotary Club of Monrovia, Paynesville City Corporation, mcCallumSather, and Hamilton Public Library, and Tri Buchanan Development Corp. The Center will be built in multiple phases on the site of Paynesville City Hall and will include Liberia’s first postwar comprehensive learning center and library, co-working and business incubation spaces, sports and recreation facilities, and event facilities.
The Liberian Learning Center is a collaborative project led by Canadian charity Empowerment Squared in partnership with Rotary International, Rotary Club of Hamilton, Rotary Club of Monrovia, Paynesville City Corporation, mcCallumSather, and Hamilton Public Library, and Tri Buchanan Development Corp. The Center will be built in multiple phases on the site of Paynesville City Hall and will include Liberia’s first postwar comprehensive learning center and library, co-working and business incubation spaces, sports and recreation facilities, and event facilities.
project overview
The Liberian Learning Center is a complex of three facilities in Paynesville, Liberia, focused on transforming the educational landscape of the region and providing access to diverse learning resources to a catchment of over 250,000 community members.
Phase 1 of the Center, pictured above, includes Liberia’s first postwar comprehensive learning center and library, and serves as a hub for personal and professional development with co-working and business incubation spaces.
Phase 2 is planned as a safe and well-equipped indoor recreation facility.
Phase 3 involves a substantial renovation of the existing town hall conference center to transform it into a modern and multi-functional space.
The Center will be an accessible resource for many community-based organizations and initiatives, empowering them to provide programs and services to the people of Liberian. Phase 1 will host a wide range of programs, including information literacy, educational programming, computer training, life skills, personal and career path development, and peer-to-peer mentorship.
Hamilton Public Library (HPL), an innovative Canadian library system with over 7 million items in circulation and 22 branches, is proud to be a formal project partner, and to act as a liaison for the engagement of leaders in the industry from across the world.
As a partner of the Liberian Learning Center, HPL is advising on the development of a modern, responsive, and thoughtful library system based at the Center that is intended to evolve into a pan-Liberian library system. This partnership will also uniquely allow Liberians access to global digital resources.
LEO NUPOLU JOHNSON – A SON OF THE SOIL
Empowerment Squared was founded by current Executive Director Leo Nupolu Johnson. Born in Liberia, Leo lived through almost a decade of civil war before fleeing the country and spending 8 years living in refugee camps in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana prior to resettling in Canada in 2006.
Leo’s impact has been recognized across the world. His expertise includes nonprofit startups and management, international development, immigration and resettlement, fundraising and financial management. He has received the Reverend John C Holland Award for Youth Leadership and Excellence and the YMCA Peace Medal, and was named one of the top 75 immigrants in Canada. He was recently awarded the World Citizenship Award by the City of Hamilton, the Gandhi Peace Award, the McMaster University Global Community Impact Award, and Afroglobal TV’s 2018 Visionary Award, and was selected as a United Nations Fellow for the International Decade for People of African Descent.