KUSA- In one of the countries hit hardest by Ebola, "A New Dimension of Hope" hopes to live up to its name.
"I have never been more hopeful than today," founder Ebenezer Norman said.
9NEWS first introduced you to Ebenezer Norman last fall. He is from Liberia and is studying for his Master's Degree in non-profit management at Regis University. Norman founded "A New Dimension of Hope," to open a school in a rural village in Liberia.
"Not only do I want to open a school, I want to tweak the mindset of the people," he said.
He and his team of 10 educators were prepared to open the recently-built school last summer, but then Ebola ravaged the country, killing thousands of people. The school's opening had to be delayed.
"I didn't realize how devastating it was going to be for that country," said Nancy Williams, the school's instructional trainer. "It took a toll. The people, the devastation, the deaths— just all of that was very hard."
Now, though, Liberia appears to be on the road to becoming Ebola-free. Liberia's last Ebola patient died on March 27. The country must now go through a 42-day period with no new Ebola cases in order for it to be declared "Ebola-free" by the World Health Organization.
With the Ebola situation improving, Norman and several instructors from Colorado plan to head to Liberia to open the school this summer.
"That's why we're able to move forward with our project and people able to move forward with their lives in Liberia," said Nancy Wood, the group's event coordinator. "These kids have endured so much and they have the strength, they have the tenacity to overcome anything."
Ebenezer Norman hopes this school can bring a change to one community.
"If a child reaches a point, where they are able to realize their full potential, is a beautiful thing," he said.
The school plans to start with 100 students this summer… teaching basics—like reading, math and science. For more information on their work, go to www.ndhope.org
(KUSA-TV © 2015 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
