The program took shape in 1987, led by John Shettle and Bob Bowman, newly-elected lay leaders of the Indiana Conferences of the United Methodist Church, to partner with UM Church in Liberia and Sierra Leone, with the mission of:
1. Upgrading UMC secondary education in Liberia and Sierra Leone
2. To be an avenue of renewal for the United Methodist Church
3. To provide hands-on mission experiences for United Methodists
In 1989 a civil war erupted in Liberia, causing people to flee and schools to close. OC responded to the new challenges by opening refugee schools in Ivory Coast and in Guinea. In 1991 the war spilled over into Sierra Leone. OC continued to work in those schools that remained open and eventually opened a refugee school in Guinea. Surprisingly, despite the wars, OC was able to assist in the construction of four schools in Liberia and one in Sierra Leone
Thousands of persons were displaced or became refugees. Operation Classroom responded to the requests of the UM Bishops of both Liberia and Sierra Leone to provide clothing and basic supplies to assist those who were in desperate circumstances. The bishops also asked if we could assist in meeting the mounting medical crises brought on by the wars. OC responded by beginning a partnership with Ganta Hospital in Liberia and Kissy Clinic in Sierra Leone. In 1994 Operation Classroom was asked to help train West Africans to counsel those suffering from war trauma. Thus, WATTS (West Africa Trauma Training Seminars) was born. Since that time more than 150 Liberians and 75 Sierra Leoneans have received a basic understanding of counseling, and in the process have learned how to deal with their own trauma. Operation Classroom continued their partnership throughout the years of civil war, by shipping container loads of supplies, providing support for the schools and hospitals, and working with displaced, refugees, and ex-combatants. Following the war, OC continued its work with both schools and hospitals. Since then a number of other UM conferences have become partners with Ganta Hospital in Liberia, OC has put more focus on Sierra Leone’s Kissy Clinic (now “Kissy UMC General Hospital”). Changing times mean changing methods. Operation Classroom is in the process of restructuring and focusing a number of it's programs. It will remain committed to helping improve secondary education in Liberian and Sierra Leone by providing scholarships for deserving students who would otherwise be unable to attend school, by supporting a variety of school-related projects, and by shipping needed supplies to both countries. But the focus of OCI's mission now shifts to Career Education - partnering with the United Methodist Churches of Liberia and Sierra Leone to develop and implement innovative vocational education in a variety of areas - education that not only provides skills training, but equips students to escape the cycle of poverty.
