Liberia Archives - New Narratives

A Fragile Lifeline for Liberia’s Growing Number of Children Living in the Street Faces Uncertain Future As Donor Support Falls

By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon with New Narratives GARDNERSVILLE, Montserrado —Harriet Mulbah’s eyes brighten as she describes her dream of becoming a nurse. Until recently, that dream seemed impossible for the thirteen-year-old who spent her days guiding her blind mother through Monrovia’s crowded streets, begging for money instead of attending school. Harriet is among the children…

Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon
Frontpage Africa

US Aid Cut Will Have Devastating Impact on Liberian NGOs and the Aid Economy, Says One Local NGO Head

By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon with New Narratives The sun was just coming up one morning last week when the chief of one local NGO received the email that threatens to have upended her life’s work. The email subject line “A Memo of Our Project, Stop Work Order Notice,” with the letter subject “Suspension Notice” was…

Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon
Frontpage Africa

3500 Teaching Scholarships Ended with US Cuts; Experts Say Cuts Will Hurt Efforts to Lift Low Skill Level of Liberia’s Teachers

By King Brown with New Narratives KPANDY TOWN, Grand Bassa County– Ezekiel Nwornee lies awake at night, the weight of his future pressing on him. After two years studying here at Grand Bassa University for his associate degree in primary education, he was looking forward to graduating next month. But the decision by United States…

King Brown
Frontpage Africa

Liberia Debates War Crimes Court, Experts Urge Forced Marriage Be Treated as a Crime

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: As Liberia intensifies debate over establishing a long-awaited war crimes court, justice experts are urging lawmakers to explicitly criminalize forced marriage in the court’s founding statute, warning that failure to do so risks sidelining one of the civil wars’ most pervasive abuses. One of these…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa

Three Month’s On From Government’s World Sight Day Pledge to Screen 1,000 Students and Distribute 12,000 Glasses, Few Details Are Available

By Fatu Kamara with New Narratives Summary In October, as part of World Sight Day celebrations, Liberia’s National Eye Health Program made an exciting announcement: an ambitious program by the unit housed in the Ministry of Health promised to deliver badly needed help to Liberian students struggling with poor vision. The program was to screen…

Fatu Kamara
Frontpage Africa

Justice at a Price: A Grandmother’s Struggle To Get Justice For Rape in Rural Montserrado

By Tetee Gebro, New Narratives health correspondent Summary : PENSON TOWN, Montserrado – It was the end of another long Sunday morning for this grandmother, panning through mud in a stream here trying to find enough specks of gold to feed her eight grandchildren. As she walked into the bush on her way to the…

Tetee Gebro
Frontpage Africa

Justice at a Price: A Grandmother’s Struggle To Get Justice For Rape in Rural Montserrado

A 57‑year‑old grandmother from rural Montserrado is fighting for justice after surviving rape, but the system meant to protect her has instead demanded illegal fees and placed heavy burdens on her. Her experience highlights how corruption and poverty continue to block many rural women from accessing justice in Liberia, turning an already painful situation into…

Tetee Gebro
Video

Depression, Anxiety, Despair Stalk Liberians in Aftermath of Civil Wars; Experts Say Mental Illness is Hidden Crisis That Needs More Resources

By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives ST. PAUL BRIDGE, Montserrado County – Musu sits in a circle in a small community office here. Dozens of community members – mostly women – listen as she tells her story. Musu was just 15 when a commander with the National Patriotic Front of Liberia took her from her…

Gloria Wleh
Frontpage Africa

Experts Warn Mental Health Counseling Needed Across the Country as War Crimes Court Planning Gets Underway

By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives SINJE, Grand Cape Mount County – Asata’s war experience would make anyone cry. In 1996, when she was 22 years old, Asata says a group of five older rebels from the ULIMO K faction gang raped her. She was left emotionally and physically scarred. Before the rape Asata dreamed…

Gloria Wleh
Frontpage Africa

Depression, Anxiety, Despair Stalk Liberians in Aftermath of Civil Wars; Experts Say Mental Illness is Hidden Crisis That Needs More Resources

Since the end of the civil conflicts in 2003 there has been no comprehensive assessment of the state of Liberians mental health. But experts say there is no doubt that at least a million of us are suffering.And as Liberia begins the process to hold accused perpetrators to account in a war crimes court, experts…

Gloria Wleh
Lux FM

Expresses Concerns Over Surge of Mpox Cases in Neighboring Sierra Leone

By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives Liberia’s Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute have expressed concern over a rapid increase in mpox cases in neighboring Sierra Leone. The country has reported a total of 2,634 confirmed mpox cases and 14 deaths, marking a significant increase since the country’s first cases were identified…

Gloria Wleh
Frontpage Africa

Calls for Unity Rise as War Crimes Court Rift Deepens at Justice Conference

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: What was intended as a forum to build consensus instead laid bare deepening divisions over Liberia’s proposed war crimes court. At the justice conference in Monrovia last week, an ongoing public dispute between the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia and a…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa

Experts Warn of Deadly Indoor Pollutants After Three Men Die While Sleeping in Enclosed Room

Three young men are dead after sleeping inside a locked store on Camp Johnson Road, in central Monrovia. As Tetee Gebro tells us police say an investigation is ongoing, but health experts warn the men may have died from deadly indoor air pollution. New Narratives’ Tetee Gebro reports from Montserrado County for Okay FM. This…

Tetee Gebro
Okay FM

Liberia’s Wetlands Under Threat as EPA Sounds Alarm on World Wetlands Day

Liberia’s wetlands are under threat—but communities are stepping up to protect the ecosystems that sustain their lives. This short video takes you inside the fight to save these vital landscapes, showing how rising pollution, unchecked construction, and climate pressures are putting our future at risk. Watch how local voices, environmental advocates, and everyday citizens are…

Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon
Video

Former Legislator and Abortion Advocate Says Public Health Bill Is Not “Abortion on Demand,” But Live Saving Measure

Liberia’s stalled Public Health Bill has revived debate over abortion. One former lawmaker and advocate for the bill says it would make abortion available for life saving emergencies such as ectopic pregnancy complications, fetal malformity and mental illnes. Joyclyn Wea reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: https://frontpageafricaonline.com/health/liberia-former-legislator-and-abortion-advocate-says-public-health-bill-is-not-abortion-on-demand-but-live-saving-measure/…

Joyclyn Wea
Video

Liberia’s Wetlands Under Threat as EPA Sounds Alarm on World Wetlands Day

By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon, New Narrative Climate and Enviromental Reporter Summary · Liberia’s wetlands are rapidly disappearing due to illegal settlements, weak enforcement of environmental laws, and public neglect, with the Mesurado Wetlands in Greater Monrovia among the hardest hit, environmental authorities warned during World Wetlands Day. · EPA officials revealed severe ecological damage, including…

Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon
Frontpage Africa

New Malaria Drug Available in Eight African Countries Promises Breakthrough for Infants; Liberia May Wait Years

Across Africa, a new malaria drug for newborns and young infants is being hailed as a breakthrough, one that could save tens of thousands of lives each year.The medicine is already approved in eight African countries. But in Liberia, where malaria remains one of the leading killers of children, health officials say it may take…

Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon
Okay FM

Experts Warn of Deadly Indoor Pollutants After Three Men Die While Sleeping in Enclosed Room

By Tetee Gebro, New Narratives health correspondent Summary: SWAKAMORE, Monrovia – Here in this community on the outskirts of the capital, silence has replaced laughter. On Friday morning, three young men from the community, who had been preparing to paint a store, were found dead after sleeping inside the enclosed space. The store, in Camp…

Tetee Gebro
Frontpage Africa

Former Legislator and Abortion Advocate Says Public Health Bill Is Not “Abortion on Demand,” But Live Saving Measure

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…

Joyclyn Wea
Frontpage Africa

U.N. Begins Training Lawyers Ahead of War Crimes Court’s Establishmen

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the primary United Nations body responsible for global human rights, is today beginning the training of Liberian lawyers focused on accountability for past crimes, as momentum rebuilds toward the establishment of a war crimes court in…

Anthony Stephens
Frontpage Africa

Liberian Government Relocates Rape Survivor Family Over Safety Threats

By Tetee Gebro, gender reporter with New Narratives Summary: The Liberian government has approved an emergency relocation for the family of an eight-year-old rape survivor after her mother reported intimidation, unauthorized filming, and repeated visits by strangers following media coverage of the case. Officials say the intervention was driven by safety concerns, underscoring both the real risks…

Tetee Gebro
Frontpage Africa