AFRICON White Paper
Joseph Kaifala
Rebecca S. Boler
Jac Mercado
Sarah Lorraine Niemann
Nina Yasmine Koffi
08.12.09
The Africa Consulting Group (AFRICON) was commissioned by the Government of Liberia to
review the status of women directly affected by the 14-year civil conflict and to suggest
strategies for addressing the problems they continue to encounter. It is estimated that nearly 30%
of the fighting force during the Liberian conflict were women. Our recommendations will focus
on former female combatants and victims of sexual violence. Even though the war ended in
2003, the women of Liberia continue to endure mental and physical suffering, and encounter
social hardships as well. They do not have adequate access to health care; many are illiterate and
have few skills to find jobs to support themselves and their families. The strategies presented
here focus on the issues of health, education, and employment. These areas are inherently
connected to one another and to the successful reintegration of female victims into the recovering
Liberian society.
Although Liberia has made incredible and tremendous progress towards stability and
reconstruction since the devastating civil war, the health sector remains a daunting challenge.
The government has been unable to provide adequate health care for its people. In 2006, the
government introduced a policy of comprehensive and free healthcare across the country.
However, the government does not have adequate health structures to implement the policy and
offer services free of charge.
Health care is a basic and crucial necessity in Liberia, especially when one considers the high
incidence of sexual violence and HIV/AIDS. In addition, there are still high risks associated with
childbearing. In fact, the maternal mortality ratio of 1000 deaths for every 100,000 live births is
one of the highest in the world. To add to these complications, Liberia’s fertility rate is one of the
highest in the region with an average number of approximately 7 children per woman. If the
current state of health care doesn’t improve, one out of 12 women in Liberia risks dying in
pregnancy or delivery complications. Another pressing issue in women’s health care is the fact
that Liberian women begin having children in their early youth. 60% of Liberian women have
their first birth before the age of 20. It is no surprise that strong correlations exist between the
number of children, the childbearing age, and a woman’s level of education.
Another crucial facet of health in Liberia is mental health. During the war, many women were
forced to join the combatant groups, living inexplicable experiences that left them depressed and
traumatized. It is imperative, if Liberia wants to establish a solid and durable peace, to properly
reintegrate these female ex-combatants into mainstream Liberian society. Statistics show that
74% of female former combatants experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder; 55%
experience major depressive disorder. 42% of female former combatants experienced sexual
violence.
Another factor that is making life extremely difficult for former female combatants in post-
conflict Liberia is the fact that most are illiterate and lack skills that could improve their lives.
Current statistics show that 60% of women between the ages of 15 to 49 are illiterate. Overall,
42% of women have never attended school. AFRICON recognizes that most of these women are
either young adults or adults who would not deem it necessary to go through the regular channel
of formal education in Liberia. Vocational training and adult literacy must be prioritized, even
though the opportunity of regular school must be provided to the young and adults who prefer
such channels.
The objective of providing health care and education to female ex-combatants is to evidently
prepare them not only for reintegration into society, but to grant them employment and business
opportunities. The economic empowerment of women is a significant aspect of reintegrating
female victims of the Liberian civil war. Women with income can better care for their children
and ensure that their children are educated, supporting the next generation of their country.
Giving women in Liberia who have been cruelly treated in the civil war and who remain the
target of sexual violence a sense of empowerment and the ability to provide for themselves and
their families is critically important. This can be achieved by ensuring that employment
opportunities are available to women.
After analyzing the situation on the ground, and gauging what is needed, feasible and already
been done, AFRICON suggests the following to the Liberian government in terms of both
Women’s Reproductive and Mental Health:
1. Some of the main issues reported by Liberian women themselves were the lack of
health care providers, the long distances to health care facilities and the absence of
transportation to health care facilities. In order to alleviate these problems, AFRICON
suggests the creation of midwifery training schools. The students will be trained in 18
months and will have to commit three years of work in their community. The midwives
will respond to the communities’ needs in women reproductive health as well as provide
information on HIV/AIDS. In addition, the program will also train local traditional birth
attendants in formal prenatal, delivery and postnatal education, HIV/AIDS prevention,
counseling as well as basic hygiene. They will also be provided with basic medical kits.
2. In terms of Mental Health, we advice the Liberian government to encourage and
work with NGOs that are already established in Mental Health, such as Médecins Sans
Frontières. We also propose the establishment of a media campaign to open a dialogue
about mental health; it would not only increase awareness of these issues, but it also
sends a message that it is acceptable to discuss them because they are not without
solutions.
3. Finally, we advise the Liberian government to rigorously implement the World
Health Organization Mental Health Gap Action Programme which supports the issues
addressed in the Millennium Development Goals.
In the area of education, AFRICON proposes three vocational training skills and basic skills in
reading and writing. In the area of vocational skills, we recommend agriculture or farming,
tailoring and craft-work. Since 90% of Liberian women are employed in the informal sector of
agriculture and produce 60% of all agricultural products in the country, it is fitting that they get
proper training in agriculture and farming. The level of illiteracy among Liberian women also
requires the establishment of adult literacy schools in neighbourhoods for basic skills in reading
and writing. Training in basic reading and writing will set the foundation for the basic
theoretical and numeric aspects of vocational skills such as tailoring, agriculture and other
crafts. The education provided to women in the trades of agriculture, tailoring, and crafting will
lead to employment opportunities. However training should not be the last contact women have
with their instructors. Support systems must be provided by the training programs so that
women who are still struggling after their training can obtain further assistance.
A study conducted by CHF International in Lofa County found that 83% of female ex-
combatants would prefer having their own business rather than being an employee. The most
important factor in allowing women to start their own businesses is capital. That is why
AFRICON recommends that each woman graduating from a training program receive a start-up
loan. The loan’s amount should be assessed based upon the training program and the location,
but must cover all necessary start-up equipment and supplies.
Another way to assist women in becoming economically empowered is to encourage the creation
of co-ops between women with complementary skills and training in the same town. By working
together, more can be produced with greater efficiency than if each woman were to produce on
her own. Ideally, many of the goods women produce should be sold in the local markets.
However, there is always the risk of the markets becoming oversaturated, in which case the only
chance women will have to improve their economic situation is through selling goods to outside
buyers.
A major source of income for women in the developing world is fair trade crafts. Buyers in the
United States will pay well for quality goods if they know that the money is being returned to the
people who made it. Yet in 2009, Ten Thousand Villages, one of the largest fair trade
organizations, did not purchase any goods from Liberia. Currently, the Global Goods Partners
(GGP) is partnered with Women Empowerment for Self Employment in Liberia. The women in
this group produce hand-painted, beaded glass necklaces and bracelets from recycled glass to be
sold in the United States through GGP. Excellent models of fair trade projects that benefit
women are the Rwanda Path to Peace Project from Macy’s Inc., and the O Bracelet project from
Macy’s Inc., Fair Winds Trading, and O Magazine. Liberian women could profit immensely
from a wider pool of buyers.
Identifying women with skills in trades and crafts who have finished products that can be shown
to organizations is the first component in broadening the market, and this can be achieved
through the training programs and evaluations of micro-enterprises and co-ops that arise from
them. Outside investment and interest should then be enticed through contact with
representatives from fair trade organizations and Macy’s Inc. The women of Liberia need access
to employment. Training programs will provide them with the skills they currently lack, but in
addition to training, start-up funding and support are crucial.
Table 1.0
The above framework can be either divided among the many non-governmental organizations
and UN agencies operating in Liberia with funding from individual donors or through the
Ministry of Gender and Development of Liberia. With efficient coordination, funding can be
amalgamated from various organizations into a consolidated fund, or the government can request
direct assistance from the World Bank, United Nations, and other donor countries. We have
attached a list of donor countries and agencies, and the appropriate allocations.
Conclusion
The goals of our recommendations are clear. The issues faced by female ex-combatants and
victims of sexual violence are issues that cannot go unaddressed. The Government of Liberia
must continue to support and assist these women as the reconstruction and rehabilitation
processes continue. These goals can only be achieved through effective coordination,
management and monitoring of programs and resources. To ensure that these objectives are
achieved within five years, AFRICON recommends a results-based management (RBM) strategy
to remain focused on the issues and allow the Government of Liberia to monitor its progress.
The programs we have proposed are for a medium-term, 5 year plan. The RBM strategy can
then be reevaluated at the end of 2014, and adjustments can be made accordingly.
References
The Journal of the American Medical Association
http://jama.ama-
assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/6/676?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fu
lltext=%22gender+based+violence%22&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
United States Africa Command
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=3133
Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118172.php
World Health Oraganization
http://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap_final_english.pdf
Amnesty International - Liberia page
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/video-and-audio/women-liberia-fighting-peace-
20080723
Amnesty International, Liberia: A flawed process discriminates against women and girls, 2008.
Joint Programme on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Empowering Women in
Liberia.
Catherine Shimony, In Solidarity with Liberian Peace Activists, Global Goods Partners,
http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/detail/article.cfm?article_id=64
Fair Winds Trading, http://www.fairwindstrading.com
Rwanda Path to Peace, http://web.mac.com/rwandapathtopeace/iWeb/RPP/Home.html
Rwanda Path to Peace, “The Project”, Macy’s Department
Store, http://www1.macys.com/campaign/rwanda/index.jsp
http://www.reliefweb.int/fts (Table ref: R4)