By Joyclyn Wea, New Narratives health correspondent Summary When a pregnancy turns dangerous, doctors do not always have time to debate words. Liberian pharmacist and former politician Joseph Somwarbi told a recent workshop in Monrovia that abortion opponents have taken advantage of the issue to score political points at the cost of thousands of Liberian women’s…
As internet access grows across Liberia, thousands of poor families are falling victim to increasingly sophisticated online scams promising fake jobs, travel programs and scholarships, draining life-savings and deepening economic hardship while police warn they still have few tools to stop the fraud even as lawmakers push a new bill to strengthen protections and enforcement….
Summary: KARNGAR TOWN, Johnsonville — In interview after interview, the story begins the same way: a promise of opportunity arrives quietly, wrapped in hope for a way out of poverty, with no hint of danger. Here in this community on the outskirts of Monrovia, Nor G. Boo had just finished arranging goods in her small…
By Joyclyn Wea, senior correspondent, New Narratives Summary: MISSION-THIRD, Montserrado County – Esther’s final words came in weak, gasping breaths. “I won’t make it,” the mother of six whispered, collapsing in the yard as neighbor Ma Fatu tried to hold her upright. Blood streamed from her nose. Moments earlier, according to her five-year-old daughter who witnessed the attack, Esther’s husband…
Liberia is debating a bill that would allow abortion up to 14 weeks—a change experts say could put the country among the most liberal in sub-Saharan Africa.The House of Representatives approved the bill in 2022, but it’s stalled in the Senate.As Joyclyn Wea finds in this collaboration with New Narratives, the delay has left many…
A new global report ranks Liberia among the top ten countries where people experience the most sadness and worry. Experts say women make up most of the number. As reporter Tetee Gebro tells us in this collaboration with Okay FM, women are carrying the heaviest burden caught between survival and stress in a country still…
By Joyclyn Wea and Tetee Gebro with New Narratives Summary: MOUNT BARCLAY, Montserrado County- Each morning, as the sun climbs over here, Kebbeh Kollie grips a sledgehammer and strikes stone. The sharp clang echoes through the quarry near Mount Barclay, a rhythm of survival. For three years, the 40-year-old single mother has crushed rocks to…
By Joyclyn Wea, senior reporter with New Narratives D. was 18 and had just entered the 12th grade in 2017 when she discovered she was pregnant. Like all teenage students, ambitious for a successful future – in her case as a banker – she feared having a baby would end her dreams. She also feared…
As the Liberian Senate considers a bill to legalize abortion, health experts say that growing access to safe abortion pills is already saving lives by reducing unsafe procedures that put women and girls at risk. Supporters of the bill argue that clear, legal access to reproductive health care is critical for protecting women’s health and…
After years of delays, construction of the long-awaited West Point Sea wall is finally set to begin later this year to protect coastal homes from erosion, even as plans will require the relocation of about 1,000 community members. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link:…
Frustration is growing in Liberia as thousands are denied banking and other essential services due to a national ID enrollment backlog, while World Bank funding for more enrollment centers remains on hold because of government debt. Tetee Gebro and Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this…
Weekend surges are increasingly threatening homes and properties in Sinkor as coastal erosion worsens along Liberia’s shoreline. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-weekend-surges-threaten-sinkor-properties-as-coastal-erosion-crisis-deepens/ This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the “Investigating Liberia” project. The Swedish Embassy provided funding,…
Liberia has unveiled a new emissions reduction plan that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44 percent by 2030 as part of its climate commitments. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-unveils-emissions-reduction-plan-targets-44-percent-cut-by-2030/ This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of…
Liberia’s Anti-Corruption Commission has installed whistleblower boxes at key government institutions to give citizens and public servants a safe, anonymous way to report corruption in the country’s ongoing fight against graft. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/can-whistleblower-boxes-help-solve-liberias-corruption-problem-the-anti-corruption-commission-thinks-so/ This story was a collaboration with…
Following a chaotic rollout and mounting public frustration, the Liberian government has indefinitely suspended its controversial compulsory national identification program. The government announced the move in a press release from the Ministry of Information Monday. “The National Identification Registry (NIR) informs all public social service providers to take note and act in compliance with this…
By Tetee Gebro and Joyclyn Wea with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia—The Liberian government has extended the deadline for compulsory registration of national Identification Cards by 76 days. The move followed a chaotic rollout process that had sparked national outrage. Long queues, poor communication, and limited infrastructure had triggered widespread frustration and service denials for millions….
By Joyclyn Wea and Tetee Gebro with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia — Members of Liberia’s House of Representatives are pushing for the government to make the country’s mandatory National Identification Cards free of charge in the wake of the chaos and frustration surrounding the registration process. The National Identification Registry is charging $US5 for a…
By Tetee Gebro and Joyclyn Wea with New Narratives RED LIGHT, Monrovia – Rick Scott arrived at the National Identification Registry center here on a recent morning at 5 a.m., joining a line of hopeful citizens in the predawn darkness. By evening, the 54-year-old businessman returned home empty-handed for the fourth time in a week,…
By Joyclyn Wea, senior correspondent with New Narratives Summary: OLD ROAD, Monrovia – The wooden box bolted to the wall at the Ministry of Education looks ordinary enough. But according to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, the country’s independent corruption watchdog, this simple contraption could be a game-changer in the country’s long fight against entrenched corruption….
By Joyclyn Wea, senior correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Liberia has approved its third Nationally Determined Contribution committing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The plan, unveiled by Boakai government officials at a validation event with international partners and stakeholders at the Monrovia City Hall…
By Joyclyn Wea with New Narratives WEST POINT, Monrovia-When the sea turns rough, Elizabeth Gray and her family have nowhere to run. Water floods through their home in this low-lying informal settlement, forcing her three children to relieve themselves indoors while waves crash just meters from their door. As this year’s rainy season gets underway,…
