Flood impacted communities in Liberia say they feel abandoned by government.They have accused the Disaster Management Agency staff of stealing aid en route.As Eric Opa Duoe, New Narratives’ senior correspondent reports, experts say much more needs to be done to protect communities as climate change makes rainy seasons more deadly. New Narratives’ Eric Opa Doue…
Government Declares Collapsed Cestos River Bridge “Beyond Repair” as Economic Shock Ripples Across South East
By Eric Opa Doue with New Narratives ITI, River Cess – Last month’s Cestos River Bridge collapse here in the south of River Cess county, has caused chaos across the country, severing the primary route from the capital to southeastern Liberia during the Christmas and new year holiday period. The bridge collapsed under the weight…
Gains and Setbacks for Women in New Government As Women Renew Push for Gender Quota Law Before 2029 Elections
By: Joyclyn Wea with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia—Joseph Boakai used his second State of the Nation Address this January to promote a big step for women: 39 percent of his ministers – seven out of 19 – are women, the highest ratio of female to male ministers in Liberia’s history. President Boakai hailed it as…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Ghana’s buses are filling with toxic fumes — and experts say passengers are paying the price
Every year, Ghanaians take millions of trips across the country in long distance buses. For most, it’s an affordable and convenient way to travel. But what many don’t know is that the air they’re breathing inside these buses could be making them sick. Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith reports in this social media Video. To read…
How the theft of a small engine part is fueling pollution, crime, and a deadly health crisis
Ghana’s air pollution crisis is getting worse in ways many people don’t see. The growing theft of catalytic converters and other small engine parts isn’t just petty crime—it’s fueling a dangerous underground market with real public‑health consequences. When these components are removed, cars and motorbikes pump out toxic emissions far above legal limits, filling the…
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…
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…
How Dirty Air Is Quietly Damaging Hearts in Ghana
By Jennifer Ambolley TEMA, Accra —Before dawn, Christabel Addo, would lift the shutters of her provision shop in Community 8. By 6 a.m., the narrow roadside was already choked with trotros belching dark smoke, taxis idling impatiently, and heavy-duty trucks grinding past on their way to the nearby industrial area. “Once the traffic starts, the air changes,” says the 46-year-old former Junior…
How Dirty Air Is Quietly Damaging Hearts in Ghana
Dirty air is quietly damaging the hearts of millions of Ghanaians. When we think about air pollution, we often picture coughing, asthma, or smoggy skies. But what is far more dangerous and far less visible — is how polluted air is silently attacking the heart and blood vessels. Jennifer Ambolley reports in this social media…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Victims of Lurd Rebel General K1 Say They Are Living in Fear as His Sentence is Delayed in Philadelphia Court
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia — They were among 17 witnesses who overcame more than two decades of fear to travel to the United States city of Philadelphia in January to testify against Laye Sekou Camara, the once dreaded general with the Lurd rebel faction. One after the other witnesses told…
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…
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…