A free mobile phone service is helping farmers in parts of rural Liberia check market prices before selling their crops, giving them greater bargaining power and helping some significantly increase their incomes. But with the service currently reaching only a small number of farmers in Grand Bassa and Rivercess Counties, questions remain about funding and…
A Government Assessment Shows Liberia Is 69 Percent Ready for Ebola. Frontline Health Workers Say the Missing 31 Percent Matters
By Augusta S. Lafalay, senior reporter with New Narratives Summary: • A nationwide Ebola preparedness assessment found Liberia 69 percent ready overall, while logistics scored only 47 percent, leaving major gaps in equipment, supplies, isolation facilities and training. • Frontline health workers say those logistics gaps can mean the difference between safely isolating a suspected…
As Liberia Pushes for War Crimes Court, Witness Protection Agency Seeks Safe Houses, Stronger Safeguards for Victims and Witnesses in US$20 Million Plan
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Liberia’s Witness Protection Agency is proposing a five-year, US$20.54 million plan to build a nationwide system for protecting victims, witnesses and whistleblowers as the country moves toward establishing war crimes and anti-corruption courts that will significantly increase the number of witnesses and whistleblowers needing protection. The…
War Crimes Court Office Chief Urges Boakai to Recall Lawmakers for Special Session to Pass Court Bill Before U.N. General Assembly This Month
Liberia’s push for a War and Economic Crimes Court is gaining urgency as Jallah Barbu, head of the court’s establishment office, calls on President Joseph Boakai to recall lawmakers from their break and pass the court bill before the U.N. General Assembly. Survivors and advocates say justice for victims of Liberia’s civil wars can no…
Hungry and Out of Options, More Poor Liberians Turn to Begging as Prices Outrun Income
As the cost of living continues to rise across Monrovia and beyond, growing numbers of vulnerable Liberians say they are being pushed into begging just to survive. The story highlights the struggles of families facing unemployment, soaring food and transport costs, and limited access to healthcare, while aid organizations and community groups report increasing requests…
Ten Years On, Liberia’s Ebola Survivors Still Fighting the Aftermath
A decade after Liberia was declared Ebola-free, many survivors and families are still living with the emotional, physical, and economic scars of the devastating outbreak. From grandparents raising orphaned children to survivors coping with lingering health challenges and trauma, their stories highlight the long road to recovery and the need for continued support, remembrance, and…
How a Gbarnga Tailor Built a School That Trains Hundreds and Offers a Model for Small Businesses in Rural Areas
What started with a single borrowed sewing machine has grown into the ACD Vocational Training Institute in Gbarnga, where founder Joseph N. Kamara has spent 25 years training hundreds of young people, most of them women, in practical skills that create pathways to employment and self-reliance. The institute’s success in combining vocational training with a…
Women Have Not Had Central Role in War Crimes Court Preparations; A New Project Wants to Change That
More than two decades after Liberian women helped bring an end to the country’s civil wars, many remain underrepresented in current efforts to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court. A new US$3 million initiative, the Gender Promotion Initiative 2.0, aims to strengthen women’s organizations and increase the participation of women and girls in peacebuilding,…
Young Liberians Win Historic Taskforce to Fight Sexual Violence — Now Comes the Hard Part
By Joyclyn Wea, gender correspondent with New Narratives Summary: When young Liberians marched through the streets of the capital in March demanding stronger action against rape and gender-based violence, many wondered whether the government would simply receive their petition and move on. Less than two months later, the Ministry of Gender has answered that question…
After 12 Years, Lansanah Leaves a Lasting Legacy
After 12 years leading Liberia’s National Elections Commission, Davidetta Browne Lansanah has stepped down, leaving behind a record many see as proof of the power of women’s leadership. As a bill aimed at increasing women’s representation in Liberia’s Legislature remains stalled in the Senate, advocates point to Lansanah’s successful management of two presidential elections, including…
Saudi Rice Trial Goes to Court, But Victims Say They Still Want the Help They Were Promised
Thousands of bags of rice donated by Saudi Arabia to assist vulnerable Liberians became the center of a major corruption case that is now nearing its conclusion in Monrovia. But in flood-affected communities in River Cess, some residents say they knew little about the trial and are still waiting for the relief they were promised….
Grand Bassa Residents Overwhelmingly Call for War Crimes Court in New Survey
A new survey by New Narratives has found overwhelming support for a war and economic crimes court in Grand Bassa County, with all 100 people interviewed backing the establishment of the court and most saying they would not vote for lawmakers who oppose it. Through the voices of war survivors, victims’ families, activists, and ordinary…
Hungry and Out of Options, More Poor Liberians Turn to Begging as Prices Outrun Income
By Fatu Kamara with New Narratives Summary BROAD STREET, Monrovia – It has been a long day for Joseph. The sun is beginning to set, and the 48-year-old father of three has been trawling the streets of Monrovia since morning, asking for money. On most days, he begs for money to feed his family. Today, he…
A New Survey Warns Legislators: Liberians Overwhelmingly Want a War Crimes Court and They Won’t Vote for lawmakers Who Oppose it
Nine in every ten people questioned said they want the court established — and almost as many said they would not vote for lawmakers who fail to support it. The survey comes as bills to establish the court face strong opposition among lawmakers and the international community warns that court must meet international standards if…
Leading War Crimes Group Relocates Senior Investigator After Death Threats Ahead of U.S. Trial
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The head of Liberia’s leading war crimes investigation group said the organization has again relocated a senior investigator for his safety after he received repeated death threats connected to his work on the case of Moses Wright, the former Liberian army commander who is set to…
Women Have Not Had Central Role in War Crimes Court Preparations; A New Project Wants to Change That
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives More than two decades after Liberian women helped played a decisive role in bringing the country’s civil wars to an end, they have been far less visible in the renewed push to reckon with the wars’ atrocities committed during them. No woman was shortlisted to lead the…
Expert Warns of Security Risks if Legislature Fails to Approve War Crimes Court Before U.N. Security Council Presidency
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary Aaron Weah, the leading historian and transitional justice expert, has warned of security risks if the country fails to approve legislation establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court before it assumes the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in December. Despite years of advocacy,…
Expert Warns of Security Risks if Legislature Fails to Approve War Crimes Court Before U.N. Security Council Presidency
As Liberia moves closer to taking on a leadership role at the United Nations Security Council, experts are warning that delays in establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court could pose risks to the country’s stability and international credibility. Advocates argue that addressing unresolved civil war-era abuses is essential for justice, accountability, and lasting peace,…
Ten Years On, Liberia’s Ebola Survivors Still Fighting the Aftermath
By Nukanah Kollie with New Narratives Summary: SUAKOKO, Bong County — All was calm at Phebe Hospital on a recent afternoon. White buildings sat behind freshly cut grass. Ambulances stood nearby. The former Ebola Treatment Unit looked like an ordinary hospital ward. More than a decade ago, it was part of an hourly battle between life…
How a Gbarnga Tailor Built a School That Trains Hundreds and Offers a Model for Small Businesses in Rural Areas
By Nukanah Kollie with New Narratives Summary: GBARNGA, Bong County —A bright blue two-story building stands in central Gbarnga, overlooking Broad Street. Red railings surround the balcony, where freshly sewn school uniforms hang beneath a sign reading, “ACD Vocational Training, School Uniform Production, Literacy Program.” Inside, shelves hold colorful fabrics as sewing machines hum across the…
‘Jaw Dropping’ El Niño” Could Test Liberia’s Weak Weather Warning System and Put Thousands of Lives at Risk, Experts Warn
A powerful El Niño weather pattern could expose serious gaps in Liberia’s ability to warn and protect communities from extreme weather, according to experts. With flooding, stronger storms, and other climate-related threats expected, thousands of people could be at risk if early warning systems fail to reach vulnerable communities in time. The warning highlights the…