Luminos Reaches 63,785 Liberian Children in Decade

MONROVIA, Liberia, September 2, 2026 — The Luminos Fund has marked 10 years of operations in Liberia, reporting that its accelerated education program has reached 63,785 vulnerable and out-of-school children since 2016.

The organization said it has also trained 1,939 teachers and engaged more than 100,000 community members during a decade of partnership with the Government of Liberia, local organizations, teachers, parents and communities.

Luminos marked the anniversary at a dinner reception in Monrovia attended by its CEO, Caitlin Baron, government representatives, community partners and other guests.

Working under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education, Luminos operates a 10-month accelerated learning program targeting out-of-school children between the ages of 8 and 14.

The program is designed to enable participating children to cover the equivalent of the first three grades of primary education before transitioning into government schools.

According to the organization, classes combine phonics-based instruction with student-centered learning, Liberian stories and a daily school meal.

Luminos said independent results from the 2025–2026 school year showed that children completing the program could read an average of 63 correct words per minute, compared with Liberia’s Grade 3 benchmark of 50 correct words per minute.

The organization also reported that participating students correctly answered an average of 60 percent of reading comprehension questions and demonstrated strong foundational numeracy skills.

Reflecting on the organization’s decade of work in Liberia, Luminos Country Manager James Earl Kiawoin credited parents, community teachers, supervisors, government officials and local partner organizations for sustaining the program.

“What made Luminos successful was the whole village,” Kiawoin said. “It truly took a whole village to raise—and educate—a child.”

Luminos currently operates across nine counties in partnership with the Liberia Institute for the Promotion of Academic Excellence, the Kids’ Educational Engagement Project and the Special Emergency Activity to Restore Children’s Hope.

Kiawoin said the organization intends to continue expanding educational opportunities for out-of-school children over the next decade, with emphasis on improving classroom learning and strengthening support for teachers.

He said Luminos remains committed to its goal of creating “a world where every child has the opportunity to learn.”