World Class Vocational Education

What began as an effort to help one school in Liberia integrate vocational education into its curriculum quickly expanded to the vision of Vocational Education Support Africa (VESA, vay-sah). By Providence, Bruce and Colleen Gregory, Owners/Operators of Gregory’s Asparagus Farm in Michigan (USA), met Varney and Queeta Freeman while traveling in Liberia in 2013. The Freemans are co-founders of Betty Memorial Institute (BMI), a school in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia. In 2014 the Gregorys and Freemans were brought together by a combination of the ebola crisis and a freakish herbicide application that drifted onto the Gregorys’ asparagus field.

Go figure!

I (Bruce) asked Varney during a phone conversation, “What do you need?” His simple reply, “Our teachers need help in becoming better teachers.” Though I had thirty years teaching experience and an MS Degree in education, it was a tall request. So, in November 2016 the first, and expected to be only, Teacher Institute was delivered. On that trip, another question was asked, “Given your teachers will need to build on what they have learned, what else do you need?” The answer came quickly, “When we add the 10th grade, we want to include vocational education in the curriculum.” BMI at that time had grades up to eighth; adding a grade each year. Varney did not ask me directly to help. He simply put the need in front of someone he knew God could use to fill it. I immediately offered my help, while realizing this was much larger than what I myself could do.

In 2017, Varney visited the United States and laid out the vision of vocational education further to a group of competent and interested individuals. At that time, BMI was the only school in our thinking. A cohort of five dedicated individuals began putting the vocational education framework together for BMI.

The inaugural Vocational Education Teacher Institute occurred in August of 2018.

It was during this institute that the vision of integrating vocational education into African high school curricula expanded beyond BMI. Why? Varney is a man of great faith. He had invited people from other schools. Six were from the prestigious Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Liberia. A well established, exceptional vocational school. Lending credibility to this first Teacher Institute were comments from the group’s leader who stated that he gained more from this institute than from any other teacher training he had ever received. He went on to offer help to BMI should it require his expertise. He was subsequently hired to teach a one week course in wiring electrical distribution panels. 

Born was the vision to expand beyond this one school and create a means of supporting the integration of vocational education into other BMI-like schools all over Africa, hence VESA.

The VESA Logo shows a tree sprouting from a book and leafing into common tools of the skilled trades. VESA is actually a Finnish word that means “young tree” or “grafting twig”. Given Finland’s standing educationally in the world, it is fitting to use this word to describe what VESA endeavors to do.

VESA believes that it is Africans who can and will make a way for themselves once they know how. Teachers will grow and spread as young trees do and even graft their talents to other teachers and schools.

Simply put, VESA exists to support schools in Africa by equipping teachers with the expertise to develop and deliver regionally relevant vocational education curricula, and the Lord has already blessed us heavily in this endeavor. Consider VESA’s historic timeline.

Will you consider joining us? Africa is a big place! We covet not only your financial and prayerful support, but your skills. Perhaps you could show a teacher something you know that they need to know in order to teach something they never before knew. 

For the King and His Kingdom,

Bruce Gregory, President, Agriculture Mentor