Mission

To raise awareness and funds for improving education and health in individual African communities, with an emphasis on children.

Vision

We envision a new generation of healthy, educated individuals able to make wise decisions for themselves and their country.

History

Click here to download a complete history of this project.

In 2000 the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts called out several millennial goals for parishes. St. Christopher’s decided to pursue “achieving primary education for children.”

In 2008, The Reverend Prince Wreh, a Liberian, came to study for a Masters Degree at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. While there, he affiliated with St. Christopher’s Church in Chatham. He participated in teaching a weekly Bible study, “Glimpse of the Gospel,” and he preached from our pulpit. He graduated in 2010 from the Divinity School.

Prince returned to Liberia where he is a parish priest and a professor of theology at the Cuttington University Graduate School. He also pursued a dream of building an elementary school at Goll Farm, a small town 120 miles east of Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia. Now he serves as the Executive Officer of the Goll Farm School, his wife, Relhetta, manages the school, and their son, Prince, Jr., is the Principal.

From groundbreaking in 2011, funds allocated by St. Christopher’s ($54,000) helped to build three school buildings. Students range from age 3 to grade 9. All of the first 9th grade class at Goll Farm passed the West African Standardized Test (like the SAT) so they can progress to high school. The current enrollment at Goll Farm is 250 students, 50 percent girls and 50 percent boys.

St. Christopher’s has consistently provided scholarships for 55 students at a cost of $200 per student, a total of $11000 per year, raised from individual donors. The church’s Outreach Fund Committee has also provides 10 scholarships as funds are available.

In 2014, church members Barbara Gibson, Steve and Jackie Keenan, David Smith and Linda and Peter Hughes visited Goll Farm School to improve communication and build relationships to move the school forward. Our seven days at the school allowed us to better understand the living conditions and environment in which the students learn. A three-day per-week feeding program was established at the school as an incentive for children to improve their attendance. The Rader family generously support this program.

In March of 2024, St. Christopher’s sponsored a visit by Prince and Relhetta Wreh to Chatham. During their three-week stay, they visited the Chatham Rotary Club, Chatham Elementary School, worshipped with our congregation, participated in a Goll Farm School project workshop and were the featured guests of a Goll Farm School Donor Appreciation Celebration.

Awareness was raised for specific project needs including an Empowering Women thru Entrepreneurship program, an additional two-day feeding program, electrical system improvements, classroom desks and chairs, water pumping and upgrades to the library and assembly hall. As these needs were identified, generous donors stepped forward to provide the funding to make these dreams a reality.