Why Liberia
Since the election of Johnson-Sirleaf, unprecedented numbers of women have assumed leadership positions. Liberian women are also strong leaders in civil society. Historically, women’s grassroots organizations were instrumental in bringing peace to the country. Sustaining women’s public roles and increasing the number of women in leadership positions is critical to ensure that Liberia rebuilds the country after fourteen years of conflict to become a vibrant, inclusive, and effective democracy.
Our Work in Liberia
Current Programs
Leadership and Economic Development Program for the National Rural Women’s Program:
Based on its in-country needs assessment in Liberia in 2008, WCI, in coordination with the Ministry of Gender Development (MoGD), designed a comprehensive program to increase women’s participation in peace building and decision-making processes. This program is designed to strengthen women’s networks and build the leadership capacity of over 700 rural men and women in post conflict Liberia through supporting the National Rural Women’s Program (NRWP).
Our program provides training and support to:
- Increase the leadership capacity, advocacy skills and civic participation of NRWP officials and members;
- Increase the food security and nutrition of NRWP members and their families through food preservation and value-added production techniques;
- Increase financial knowledge and business skills of NRWP members; and
- Increase the number of women, particularly rural women, running in the 2011 elections.
Partners: Ministry of Gender Development, USAID Liberia
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Liberia Program-
Supported the program by providing 30 of its graduates with wrap around trainings and support in leadership, business skills, technology use and public speaking
Partners: Goldman Sachs, CHF International
Past Programs
Strategic Campaigning Skills Training (2009)-
Offered campaign skills training with a focus on strategic planning for forty market women from Kakata, Liberia. The training aimed to build their capacity to advocate for improvements to the marketplace and contest elections of the marketing association.
Partner: Sirleaf Market Women’s Fund
International Colloquium for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership, Development, International Peace and Security in Monrovia (2009)-
Served on Steering Committee taking an active role in the planning of the Colloquium and conducted Campaign Skills training for more than 100 women leaders during the Colloquium.
Partner: International Colloquium for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace & Security
Publicizing women’s leadership (2008)-
Created a comprehensive database of 186 women’s organizations throughout Liberia and a series of regionally broadcast radio programs featuring prominent women leaders in various fields.
Partner: Women’s NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL)
Income generation and citizenship skills for women (2008)-
Conducted skills training for 300 women and adolescent girls on computer literacy, soap making, literacy and numeracy and community peace building. WCI also trained community leaders including school officials and village chiefs, in civic education to ensure community support of women’s leadership activities.
Partner: Women Aid Inc. (WAI)
Fostering peace and community mediation (2008)-
Trained sixty community members from rival ethnic groups with a history of violence in conflict mediation techniques while coming together as a community to experiment with improved agricultural techniques in communal gardens. Each community established a peace club with a majority of women in leadership positions, to help improve women’s capacity to mediate conflict and participate in community decision-making processes.
Partner: National Women’s Commission of Liberia (NAWOCOL)
Increasing awareness of gender based violence, sexual exploitation, abuse and HIV/AIDS (2008)-
Designed community-based GBV awareness trainings throughout Liberia. These programs employed skits, songs, and community-trained educators to discuss domestic conflict mediation skills, ways to prevent violence against women and HIV/AIDS identification, prevention and care. WCI supported SWAA-Liberia to conduct a comprehensive assessment of targeted communities’ knowledge, attitude, practice and behavior related to conflict, violence against women and HIV/AIDS.
Partners: Society for Women’s Action and Progress (SWAP), Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), Women Aid Inc. (WAI), Women Aid Society (WAS)
Grief and Trauma Counseling to Conflict-Affected Women (2007):
WCI supported trainings for community-based psychosocial counselors and sensitization trainings for partners of women affected by conflict. WCI also conducted trainings for female traditional leaders to support members dealing with post-conflict trauma and reintegration. Findings from these trainings were brought to a national women’s conference where practitioners and experts drafted a series of recommendations for next-steps in the reconciliation process.
Partner: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia
Our Impact in Liberia
Current Programs
Leadership and Economic Development for the NRWP
- Trained 450 women in organizational structure and accountability;
- Trained 150 trainers to conduct leadership workshops with an additional 1500 women;
- Trained 150 trainers to conduct business skills workshops with an additional 1500 women;
- Trained 120 women and 30 men in value added agriculture production and provided 3 community groups with a value added tool;
- Trained 350 leaders of the NRWP in organizational development and leadership
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Liberia Program
30 graduates of the program trained in leadership, business skills, technology use and public speaking
Past Programs
Over 1500 men and women throughout Liberia have been reached directly through WCI’s trainings, and an estimate of at least 2600 more impacted by graduates of our Training of Trainers programs.
