This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the “Investigating Liberia” project. The Swedish Embassy provided funding, but the founder had no say in the story’s content….
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon with New Narratives Liberia is facing a full-blown drug crisis according to a new report that finds the reasons for the crisis are rooted in poverty, failures of post war justice, unemployment and a growing regional drug trade. The report, the first to look at the reasons for the growing problem,…
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,…
Joyclyn Wea with New Narratives Summary · Ocean surges destroy fences along Liberia’s Sinkor coastline, with UN projections warning that 230,000 Liberians face losing their homes to rising seas by 2100 · Stark inequality emerges as former President George Weah’s residence stands protected by boulder barriers while neighboring properties are unprotected · Critical infrastructure is…
By Anthony Stephens and Allison Hunter with New Narratives Summary: Caroline Armah is exactly the sort of person the development world has tried to champion. The 33-year-old entrepreneur is building a business solving one of the most fundamental problems Liberia faces: affordable, childhood nutrition. Armah’s business Calaw Foodssells a nutritional supplement made of finely ground…
By Aria Deemie and Jake Duffy with New Narratives Summary: PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – On a warm Saturday afternoon, Chris Onanuga, Liberia’s newly appointed presidential envoy for tourism, mingles with young people at a recreation day in Voka Mission. Some kick a football; others seek shade beneath sprawling trees. To Onanuga, the scene is something more…
By Aria Deemie with New Narratives Despite a raft of government reforms and international partnerships, Liberia continues to face serious human rights challenges, according to the 2024 U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices released this week. The report found there were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Liberia…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Leymah Gbowee, one of Liberia’s most celebrated peace activists, on Wednesday called on the country’s Legislature to pass a law making the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia a statutory body, thereby protecting it from the whims of a future president who…
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon and Anthony Stephens with New Narratives Summary: · Residents of Saye Town in Monrovia have destroyed a notorious drug den, accusing authorities of years of inaction against crime and addiction in their community. · The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency welcomed the raid, but locals remain distrustful, citing alleged collusion between some…
By Aria Deemie, Environment Reporter New Narratives Summary: Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency said it is facing a legal challenge after telecom company Lonestar Cell filed a lawsuit contesting a $US15,000 fine for noise pollution at its Congo Town facility. The case, filed on May 27, is currently before the Civil Law Court in Monrovia. According…
By Aria Deemie, climate change reporter New Narratives Summary: Experts say Liberia’s new fully equipped environmental laboratory is a breakthrough that could transform how the country tackles pollution. The laboratory, launched last month by the Environmental Protection Agency, will allow EPA technicians to conduct forensic testing on air, water, and soil samples, allowing them to…
By Joyclyn Wea, senior correspondent with New Narratives with photography by Allison Hunter WEST POINT, Monrovia — As heavy rains batter the coast, fear thickens in West Point. Five years ago a storm surge took the home Sarah Gary’s father built when she was a child. Now Gary lives in a house just feet from the Atlantic’s…
By James Papy Kwabo Jr. and Peter Kollie with Alternate Youth Radio and New Narratives ZORZOR, Lofa County – In a region where access to essential medicine can determine whether someone lives or dies, one young nurse is quietly building a health movement from the ground up. Despite the lack of support for entrepreneurs in…
Summary: By Aria Deemie, climate change reporter with New Narratives In a historic ruling, the United Nations’ highest court has declared that countries have a legal duty to act on climate change, a decision advocates say could reshape global climate diplomacy. The ruling comes as Liberia regains a seat on the U.N. Security Council for…
By Aria Deemie, climate change reporter with New Narratives As Liberia’s rainy season gets underway, the country’s national disaster agency warns it is not prepared for what could become one of the worst flooding seasons in recent history. International forecasts warn that more than 825,000 people are at risk in the coming weeks. As the…
By Tetee Gebro with New Narratives GANTA, Nimba County — McArthur Davis was 18 when doctors told him to burn his clothes to cure what they thought was an infection. His vision was failing, sores covered his body, and though clinic after clinic had treated him, he never got better. It wasn’t until he reached…
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By Jennifer Ambolley Summary: By Jennifer Ambolley BALUNGO, Upper East Region –Asoke Douglas Aganawini rises with the sun each day in this remote community in the far northern part of the country. Climate change has pummeled farmers here with unpredictable rainfall and higher temperatures. But for Asoke it’s been particularly hard. The 45-year-old began losing…
Anthony Stephens is an award-wining journalist and lawyer. Anthony leads NN’s coverage of governance issues including Liberia’s establishment of a war and economics crimes court. His reporting appears in FrontPage Africa and Okay FM and on NN partner radio stations across the country. Anthony cohosts and produces Democracy in Focus, Liberia’s leading current affairs…
By Fatu Kamara with New Narratives TODEE DISTRICT, Montserrado County – For Christian Liberians Christmas is normally a period of smiles, joy and exchange of gifts with friends and loved ones. But as more Liberians fall below the poverty line, for many, that is not their experience this year. This year’s Christmas has brought more…
By Joseph Titus Yekeryan with New Narratives SALALA, Bong County- The midday sun beats down here as 10-year-old Nulee runs from one vehicle to another with plastic sachets of cold-water urging passengers to buy. “Cold water, cold water here! Make your chest cold!” he calls out in a high-pitched voice. His childhood, once filled with…
