For most families, the birth of a child is a moment of joy and anticipation. But when complications arise, that joy can quickly turn into tragedy.Across Liberia, patients and health workers say the inability to pay emergency care costs are leading to death and injury for mothers and babies.As Fatu Kamara reports in this collaboration…
Journalism
As Other African Nations Reject U.S. Health Deal, Liberia’s Agreement Faces New Scrutiny
By Joyclyn Wea, gender correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Ghana has become the third African country to reject a proposed U.S. health agreement, with government officials saying the deal would have given U.S. entities broad access to sensitive national health data, including metadata and analytical tools, without sufficient safeguards or prior approval. The deal included provisions that…
State Closes Case After Subpoenaed Witnesses Say Company Linked to Accused Traffickers Is Not Tax Compliant; Final Arguments and Ruling Set for Monday
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Prosecutors rested after calling three subpoenaed government witnesses to challenge key claims made by the defense. Witnesses testified that Infinity Millennium was registered with the government but had not paid taxes or declared income, and that QNet was not registered to import pharmaceutical products into Liberia….
Female Electric Kehkeh Drivers Are Breaking Barriers and Fighting Air Pollution
“Sherman’s journey reflects a broader shift taking place on Monrovia’s streets. A small but growing group of women is entering Liberia’s male-dominated transport sector through a fleet of electric kehkehs. The vehicles are helping Liberia address two persistent challenges: limited economic opportunities for women and worsening air pollution from thousands of gasoline-powered vehicles. For the…
Ex-President Sirleaf Backs Specialized Anti-Corruption Court, Urges Boakai to Address “the Several Scandals That Plague the Society”
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s and Africa’s first democratically elected female president, on Wednesday urged President Joseph Boakai to intensify the fight against corruption, calling on him to address what she described as “the several scandals that plague the society” while backing the creation of a Specialized National…
Female Electric Kehkeh Drivers Are Breaking Barriers and Fighting Air Pollution
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon, climate and environment reporter with New Narratives Summary Teta Sherman was sitting at home, bored, watching television when a friend told her about a company looking for women to drive kehkehs, three-wheeled taxis that carry the majority of Liberians throughout the country’s capital every day. Her first reaction was disbelief. Driving a…
As Vaccine Aid Is Cut, a Remote Measles Outbreak Shows What’s at Risk
A measles outbreak struck Kiangia Town in January, moving silently from home to home before families realized what was happening. With clinics closed or lacking medicine, parents and grandparents relied on traditional remedies like leaves, honey, and alcohol, which experts say offered no protection. One child, Samuel, just four years old, died, while others suffered…
Jurors, Defendants and Alleged Victims Visit Site at Center of Largest Human Trafficking Trial as Case Enters Crucial Phase
Jurors in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial visited the compound in Margibi County where 57 alleged victims say they were held, abused, and forced to recruit relatives and friends into the trafficking network. Prosecutors argue the site was the base of an organization that lured people with false promises of jobs abroad before subjecting them…
Senior Police Investigator Denies Taking Defendants’ Property as Largest Trafficking Trial Reaches Closing Stages
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: · The judge rejected a defense request to disregard a jury inspection report on the alleged crime scene. · Prosecutors opened their rebuttal case with seven witnesses, including victims, as senior police investigator Enoch Dunbar denied taking defendants’ property. · Additional rebuttal witnesses disputed testimony from defendants as the…
Jurors, Defendants and Alleged Victims Visit Site at Center of Largest Human Trafficking Trial as Case Enters Crucial Phase
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: · Jurors, defendants and alleged victims in Liberia’s biggest human trafficking trial visited the compound where all 57 victims said they were held, marking a pivotal moment as the trial enters its final stages. · The inspection revealed the layout of the compound, which defendants insist was a…
Curbing Environmental Pollution: Farmers urged to desist from burning, adopt
Curbing Environmental Pollution: Ghanaian farmers urged to desist from burning, adopt sustainable best practices – Evening News on Adom TV (21-06-26) This story was a collaboration with New Narratives, with funding from the Clean Air Fund. The donor had no say in the story’s content….
‘I DID NOT TRAFFIC’: Defendant Says as Third Witness Corroborates Testimony That Vice President’s Security Inspected Alleged Trafficking Compound
Alexander Saye Plato, one of the defendants in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial, denied charges of trafficking, conspiracy, and theft, while corroborating earlier testimony that members of Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s security detail visited the compound at the center of the case. He testified that the officers came to inspect the facility after the Vice…
Ghana farmers’ burning practices fuel growing air pollution and environmental crises
By Prince Owusu Asiedu Asutsuare (Shai Osudoku District) – Experts are raising urgent concerns over the widespread practice of burning crop waste and trees to clear farmlands across Ghana, warning that it is fueling a growing public health and environmental crisis. Burning just one kilogramme of crop residue produces smoke levels more than 100 times…
Senate Begins Consultations on Competing War Crimes Court Bills; Advocates Hope Outstanding Issues Can Be Resolved Before Public Hearings
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Liberia’s Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions this week began consultations on six competing bills to establish a war and economic crimes court and a national anti-corruption court, the first step in an effort to harmonize the legislation before public hearings expected to…
In Major Shift, Coalition of Religious Leaders Urges Passage of Bill to Extend Abortion Access
Liberia’s Inter-Religious Council, the umbrella body representing the country’s major Christian and Muslim institutions, is urging lawmakers to pass a stalled health bill that would expand access to abortion in certain cases, breaking with years of opposition to the measure by religious leaders. Supporters say the bill is needed to reduce deaths and injuries from…
‘I DID NOT TRAFFIC’: Defendant Says as Third Witness Corroborates Testimony That Vice President’s Security Inspected Alleged Trafficking Compound
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: • A third defendant in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial corroborated testimony from two co-defendants that members of Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s security detail visited the compound at the center of the case. The defendants said the officers inspected the facility after Koung moved into the…
As Vaccine Aid Is Cut, a Remote Measles Outbreak Shows What’s at Risk
By Tetee Gebro and Joyclyn Wea, gender and health correspondents with New Narratives Summary KIANGIA TOWN, Todee District — The measles came to this town in January. Nobody announced it. Nobody warned families here. It moved quietly from home to home, the way measles does — through the air, between children playing; spreading before anyone understood…
Liberia’s Rice Revolution: Experts Say A Proven Model Offers Hope to Break Dependence on Imports and Reduce Hunger
Liberia is gradually adopting the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a proven farming method that experts say could help the country grow more food and reduce its dependence on imports. Farmers using the system report yields rising from just one to two tons per hectare to as much as five or even seven, according to…
Two Defendants Deny Charges as Second Witness Corroborates Security Visit, Claims Vice President’s Guards Didn’t “Bother Anybody” at Compound at Heart of Case
Stanley Wonlebaye, one of the defendants in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial, testified that four members of Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s security detail visited the compound at the center of the case, corroborating earlier testimony from another defendant. He claimed the officers entered, were briefed on the organization’s activities, and then left without interfering, saying…
In Major Shift, Coalition of Religious Leaders Urges Passage of Bill to Extend Abortion Access
By Joyclyn Wea, gender correspondent with New Narratives Summary: In a major boost to efforts to pass a health bill that would expand access to abortion in Liberia, the Inter-Religious Council, the umbrella body representing the country’s major Christian and Muslim institutions, has called on lawmakers to pass the legislation, breaking with years of religious…
Defendant in Largest Human Trafficking Trial Denies Charges, Claims Vice President’s Security Inspected Compound at Center of Case as Court Orders Site Visit
The defendant in Liberia’s largest human trafficking trial denied all charges, insisting that his compound was legitimate and even claimed that members of Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s security detail had inspected the premises. He argued that this inspection demonstrated transparency, while the court ordered a site visit to the compound at the center of the…