Dreams really do come true — just ask Eddie Gibson, a native-born Liberian who now resides in Alabama. This past September, one of Gibson’s dreams became reality when the Marla Corts Preparatory School opened in the Liberian village where he was born.
But this school is only the first of what he hopes will be many established through the efforts of Eddie Gibson International Ministries, Inc. (EGIM). The Birmingham-based ministry was born of Gibson’s desire to bring spiritual and economic hope to the people of Liberia by teaching them the gospel and helping them learn how to help themselves.
“We hope to introduce agriculture so they can learn to use available resources to earn a living and provide food for themselves,” he said.
“But in keeping with our vision, we’re using the school as a means of discipleship. We have a full-time pastor and we intend to continue to train the other teachers in Bible-based knowledge so that they can disciple students in the classroom.”
Roughly the size of Tennessee, Liberia is located on the west coast of Africa. Over the years, clashes between government and rebel forces have left Liberia poverty-stricken, disease-ridden, and sorely lacking in public services and job opportunities. Today, there is no nationwide electricity, no running water, and public transportation is almost nonexistent.
In particular, the educational infrastructure of the country has suffered greatly, stranding Liberian children in a seemingly hopeless cycle of ignorance and deprivation. Gibson hopes break that cycle.
Gibson’s childhood experiences provided the seed for his dream. To ensure their children a quality education, Gibson’s parents sent him, a brother and a sister away to “the city” with a woman who was passing through their village. Gibson was only 6 years old at the time.
Through his studies, Gibson came to understand the advantages education could bring to his people. He has now dedicated a major part of his ministry efforts to making his dream for a school in every Liberian village a reality. “I felt a need to give back to my own people,” he said.
Gibson credits much of what his ministry has accomplished to his involvement with Birmingham’s Sardis Baptist Church and Pastor Samuel Pettagrue’s vision for global missions. Gibson currently serves as the church’s assistant pastor. Sixth Avenue Baptist, Birmingham, has also caught the EGIM vision and is currently working toward opening a school in another village.
Although the Corts School curriculum is similar to that in American schools, the setting is vastly different.
According to Dellanna O’Brien, a close friend of Gibson and his wife Charlesetta, the Corts School is a simple seven-room brick building with separate living quarters for teachers and students who live too far away to walk to school.
“It’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the need,” said O’Brien, whose husband, Bill, is chairman of the EGIM board of advisors.
O’Brien recalled that it was Samford University President Thomas Corts, also on the EGIM board of advisors, who first became interested in building such a school.
“The few schools that are still operative there have no supplies, no equipment, and very poor teacher training. Because of his special interest in the school, it was named after his wife. We were thrilled about that,” O’Brien said.
Gibson’s home village, whose African name translated into English is “Market Creek,” never had a school until the Corts campus opened Sept. 30. The first semester, 89 students enrolled, but about 200 potential students live in the community, so enrollment is expected to increase with time. The school currently has eight teachers teaching a variety of subjects from kindergarten to ninth grade levels.
Some of the students are as young as 3 while others are 20 or older. Liberia’s educational deficiencies have produced some older, but no less eager pupils.
Within a short time, news of the school’s success had spread and neighboring villages requested help. “We’re being asked to build schools in other areas and expand our services,” said Gibson. “It’s a need in the entire country.”
In the meantime, the people of Market Creek, young and old, are ecstatic about their new village school. O’Brien related the following story of an incident that occurred during the school’s construction:
“A woman in her 90s was [helping out] carrying a bucket of sand on her head and someone said, ‘You shouldn’t do that. You’re too old.’ and she said, ‘Oh, don’t take that joy away. This is the most exciting thing to happen to me. When I die, I hope they’ll bring my body by the school one more time.’”
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