Oxfam's work in Liberia in depth

Background

Liberia is home to an estimated 3.5 million people, comprising 16 indigenous ethnic groups and various foreign minorities. The seeds of ethnic and social tension stretch back to the early 19th century when the first freed America slaves were returned to Liberia. From that time the power dynamics of the country moved significantly away from the indigenous people and an undercurrent of animosity and resentment has remained unsolved ever since.

Liberia has been affected by two civil wars: from 1989-1996 and from 1999-2003. Around 250,000 were killed in the last conflict and many thousands more fled the fighting. Liberia now faces some of the worst economic and social conditions of any post conflict country in the world.

Liberia currently has an approximate 85 per cent unemployment rate, the second highest in the world. Poverty is widespread in Liberia, with more than three quarters of the population (76.2 per cent) living on less than US$1 a day and over half (52 per cent) living in severe poverty on less than US$0.50 a day.

Less than 20 per cent of the rural population have access to health facilities and in some counties this drops to five per cent.

Whilst the Government has recently passed legislation to ensure free primary education for all children it is estimated that less than 50 per cent of eligible children are in primary education. Most of those who are in school receive poor quality education in semi-derelict buildings, lacking basic teaching materials and having poorly trained teachers.

Women face serious discrimination within the legal system and lack inheritance and land ownership rights. Women are still under represented in decision-making positions.

Since the inauguration of the new President – HE Helen Johnson Sirleaf in January 2006, and the establishment of her new Administration, the pace of change in Liberia has increased dramatically. The Government intends to deliver its strategy for national recovery and rehabilitation by following on from its Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan (PRSP), covering the period 2007-2011, and a Socio Economic Transformation Strategy (SETS) from 2012-2015.

Our focus

Oxfam GB has been in Liberia since 1995 although we scaled up and down during that period to reflect the conflict situation. Programmes since the end of the conflict (2003) have mainly been focused on water and sanitation and public health in internally displaced people camps and more recently communities of helping displaced people return home. Protection was a major component of work in the IDP camps with a strong gender focus. To provide increased support to returning communities, our education programme was scaled up.

We are supporting Liberia’s post conflict recovery by working closely with Civil Society groups and the Government of Liberia to protect basic human rights of the most vulnerable people in selected communities through a range of integrated programmes aiming to change the conditions that have perpetuated poverty conflict and injustice in Liberia.

Our work aims for citizens to have improved health from sustainable access to clean and safe water and sanitation, access to gender equitable and quality education, sustainable livelihoods, improved governance and transparency and protection from abuse and exploitation.

 

What we do

Education

We aim to increase access to gender equitable quality education among boys and girls in marginalised and vulnerable communities in Liberia. Our objectives are:

• 20,000 girls and boys (at least 50 per cent girls) will have access to significantly improved quality and entirely free primary education in public schools in Montserrado, Bong and Margibi counties by 2010
• 10 per cent improvement in the performance of girls with specific reference to language, Science and Maths at grade 6 and grade 9 national exams by 2010
• 20 per cent increase in the number of girls completing and transiting from elementary to Junior Secondary and to Senior Secondary public school.

We are working with the Ministry of Education and key education partners to develop a national campaign on the right of free and quality education for all. Creating safe gender friendly schools where girls and boys have equitable learning opportunities, increasing HIV and AIDS and reproductive health awareness, developing effective representative and transparent governance structures are key aims.

With our project partners we are:

• Building a strong coalition to support the Education For All process, through campaigning for increased budget allocation to the education sector and to influence allocation of more resources to the schools.
• Conducting a Global Week of Action to advocate for the right to basic free education for all
• Providing In-service Teacher Training for at least 150 teachers in Margibi, Bong and Montserrado
• Establishing new libraries and providing reading materials to at least 30 libraries
• Establishing and supporting girls clubs as a means of creating a girl-friendly environment to encourage girls to enroll and stay in schools
• Strengthening the governance of schools through support to Parent Teacher Associations (PTA’s). A “PTA” project is currently implemented in 12 schools in Monrovia and in Bong County trough a Liberian partner. PTAs have a critical role to play in terms of prioritisation and accountability of the education system towards the Liberian children
• Supporting the Ministry of Education and UNESCA to develop a new Education Policy
• Monitoring the impact of policy and plans at the school and community level and raise issues with the Ministry of Education
• Monitoring allocation of education resources and their use by counties calling attention to marginalised areas and groups
• Strengthening awareness of the factors affecting access, retention and completion of children, especially for girls
• Supporting the literacy training for “over-aged” girls and teenage mothers
• Build local partner capacity to influence pro-poor policies while developing programmes that have impact at the local level

Our education partners are:

• LETCOM
• Forum of African Women Educationalists (FAWE)
• AIDSCORPS
• Liberia Educational Action for Development (LEAD)
• Restoration of Educational Advancement Program (REAP)
• Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS)

Livelihoods

Food security is a challenge in post-war Liberia, with critical implications for peace and security, economic revitalisation and for poverty reduction. Current estimates suggest a depressing unemployment situation, the overwhelming of the unemployed being young people.

Oxfam is working to increase livelihood security and viable sustainable livelihood options for the most vulnerable, especially women and young people. Our objectives are:

• By 2010, at least 2000 vulnerable farmers and their families will have improved their livelihoods through increased production of rice and more efficient marketing through supporting a private company
• By 2010, at least 500 vulnerable urban dwellers will have improved their livelihoods through short-term employment projects
• By 2010, at least 1000 vulnerable urban dwellers (including at least 500 women) will have improved their livelihoods through access to micro finance

With our project partners we are:

• Supporting the formation of agricultural co-operatives and private entrepreneurship in conjunction with the private sector
• Improving the livelihood of 135 families in Margibi through a pepper and peanut growing project
• Improving income-earning opportunity for 200 farmers through improved rice production and basic processing in Grand Gedeh
• Supporting short-term employment projects in Bushrod Island, urban slum, and working with the Women’s Association in West Point to provide sustainable employment opportunities for 25 female heads of household
• Improving access to markets to allow maximum food usage and enhance the income opportunities of rural farmers

Our livelihoods partners are:

• Agency for Economic Development and Empowerment (AEDE)

Public health

Since the beginning of 2007 Oxfam’s work in Liberia has progressively moved away from direct operational activities (construction of wells and latrines) and focused on Public Health initiatives and hygiene promotion. 

A pilot programme was undertaken in 2007 to build the capacity of the Bong County Health team to undertake a range of activities to support the management and control of safe water and sanitation facilities in the communities, to help reduce the incidence and impact of waterborne diseases.  This project was judged to be successful and helped Oxfam develop a close relationship with the Ministry of Health.  As the country moves from an emergency situation to a longer-term development phase, Oxfam would like to continue to strengthen the Government’s capacity to re-establish and deliver preventative health services to its people.

Oxfam is the lead agency of the INGO WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene promotion) Consortium in Liberia, funded by DFID. The Consortium is comprised of Oxfam, Tearfund, Concern Universal, Solidarite and Action Contre La Faim (ACF).  The overall five-year strategy for the Consortium is to support the Government of Liberia to meet their development goals for access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and good hygiene practice. The Consortium aims to simultaneously deliver direct humanitarian action whilst capacity building Government and complementary national actors, in order to support the strengthening of the WASH sector.

Oxfam’s programme component in the Consortium strategy is to support the Ministry of Health in revitalising the national health inspection system. This includes regular checks on water and sanitation facilities and promotes public health. The programme will provide training and basic start up equipment to facilitate the re-establishment of County Health Teams and offices.

Consortium members are providing wells and latrines, as well as promoting general hygiene. In addition, they will support Oxfam by assisting the County Health Teams and support the sector by building up Liberian partners in the WASH sector.

Last updated: August 08