A Letter from Dr. Dinkins, Hilltop Schools Board Chair

Dear Friends & Supporters, 

It is slightly over one year ago that I came across an article describing the plight of More Than Me Academy and the dire situation facing the girls of West Point. As a trauma surgeon with 15 years of clinical practice and multiple volunteer deployments to disasters and health crises around the world, I felt a call to respond to a community in urgent need. West Point’s single most impactful institution was facing the threat of closure. Public opinion demanded immediate shut-down of the school. Hundreds of girls were facing the prospect of going back to the streets instead of returning to their beloved campus. Parents were anxiously appealing to the government and hoping for a reprieve. The administration and staff were swamped with demands for reform, transparency and a review of the safety practices of the school. What could I do to help?

I began with my own memories of being a child in Monrovia. A solid well-grounded education was available in Liberia, provided your family could afford tuition at select schools. That left out the majority of children. The fortunate few who could pay were mostly left alone to navigate the murkier waters of teacher-student relations, professional boundaries, social conflicts, and bullying. Teachers who listened to students and respected their right to dignity were few. As a child subjected to bullying and torment, I sought safe places to shelter from a seemingly uncaring world; the library offered wise insights from long-dead authors, the outdoors accommodated my dreams without judgement. I decided to create an amalgam of the two and named it the Safe Space Program. 

The Safe Space Program is based in our core values of truth, honesty, integrity, courage, strength of character, independent thinking, kindness and protection of the weak. These ideals were ingrained in me from a young age and they guide me to this day. It comprises of a manual and bi-annual teacher training to support educators in creating safe, supportive environments for children and focuses on healthy ways of dealing with traumas that are commonly experienced by students in Liberia. At the Academy, we've furnished an actual space with pictures, affirmations, and Yasmine’s Closet, a repository of personal care items for students to have free access to on campus. The Safe Space is now a major campus hub, with 15-20 students asking for Safe Space sessions a week and even bringing their parents for sessions if they feel there is a chance to help them.

Kutoa Afrika underwrites salaries for social workers and provides additional support for the safeguarding department, to implement the Safety Policies of Hilltop School Systems. These policies, which were created to address the deficiencies identified by the internal and external audits, are perhaps the most extensive guidelines created for any Liberian educational system and with time will become the vanguard policy for schools throughout Liberia. The Safety Program and Safe Space Program will eventually be implemented system-wide at Hilltop.

This past summer, MTM turned over its ownership of the Academy and LEAP school operations to Hilltop Schools, and a new Board of Directors was formed. I was invited to join, and asked to helm the Board as Chair. The composition of the Board required much thought, and deliberate selections; two representatives of the West Point Parent/Teachers Association; individuals with significant career experience in education, finance, and media relations, and other individuals with a history of supporting West Point and the Academy through turbulent times. It has been an illuminating and humbling experience for me, and an honor to work with these exceptional colleagues.

The impact of the LEAP program under Hilltop Schools is significant. Our curriculum has proven its superiority both through formal testing and informal evaluations of the MTM graduates who have matriculated to outside institutions. My dreams for Hilltop are extensive, and shared by the Board, students, staff, and parents of the Academy and LEAP schools.

We believe Hilltop can become the premier school network in Liberia. We believe we can extend the opportunity to quality education, safety, and health to boys and girls in West Point and throughout our country, building our future leaders. These are big dreams, and will require committed effort over the coming years from all involved. But I have visited the Campus multiple times, and spoken with the girls, and walked the muddy, crowded West Point lanes, and talked with the parents. I have spoken with the graduates and seen how they are faring at their new schools. I have toured the LEAP schools, and we all are clear on one point - there is no turning back. We can only move forward. 

We have the vision, the talent, and the tenacity. We need resources; we need your help with the implementation of the Hilltop dream. I want to ask that our community of friends and supporters band together now to support our students.  I am personally committing myself and the Kutoa Africa Foundation to completion of the work. 

Join us in supporting our students’ futures. Give today.

With lasting gratitude, 

Gracie-Ann Dinkins, MD, FACS

Chair of the Board of Directors