Education experts say the termination of a USAID program, that funded scholarships to aspiring teachers could undermine government efforts to recruit qualified staff for public schools.Advocates urged government to support students affected by the program’s closure, to complete their education and help address the country’s teacher shortage.As Garmai Tarnue reports for Radio Gbarnga in collaboration…
Doctors Warn Rampant Abuse of Anti-Microbial Drugs Is Creating Superbugs That Are Killing Thousands and Leaving Sick People Defenseless
Medical Experts are raising a warning saying more and more people are staying sick because the medicines meant to kill harmful germs that cause malaria, diarrhea and other dangerous illnesses —aren’t working anymore.The reason? Many Liberians are using antibiotics and other powerful drugs the wrong way, and that misuse is making these medicines weaker and…
As Senate Considers Bill to Legalize Abortion, Experts Say Growing Access to Abortion Pills Is Saving Lives
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…
PromoBensoudaInterview
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1141064819 Fatou Bensouda, an ex-prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has backed a hybrid court, for Liberia. She said the court, which will comprise local and international judges and lawyers, will boost the court’s credibility.This video summaries our exclusive interview with Bensouda….
Liberia Looks to New Climate Change Adaptation Fund for Forested Nations But Experts Warn It Faces Major Challenges Meeting Requirements
By Aria Deemie, climate and environment reporter with New Narratives Summary World leaders at the 30th Conference of the Parties, the annual meeting of countries coordinating to halt climate change, formally launched the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a new global fund with US$5.5 billion in initial support, designed to reward countries that keep their forests…
Former Anti-Trafficking Deputy Indicted on Trafficking Charges, Stunning Advocates
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: A former assistant director of the antihuman trafficking Unit at Liberia’s Labor Ministry has been indicted on charges that he participated in the very crime he was appointed to help combat. A Monrovia grand jury’s decision to indict Henry McGill, who held the assistant director…
PromoNationalProgram
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1141063633 Have you heard the latest episode of our national program?…
Rural Liberian Clinic Gets Overhaul After Investigation Exposed Maternal Health Crisis
After a FrontPage/New Narratives investigation exposed deadly conditions for women giving birth at a rural clinic in Arthington, that facility has now been overhauled with a new maternity ward, improved water and sanitation, and medical equipment thanks to external funding, offering a rare bright spot in Liberia’s ongoing maternal health crisis even as gaps like…
Doctors Warn that Rampant Abuse of Anti-Microbial Drugs Is Creating Superbugs That Are Killing Thousands and Leaving Sick People Defenseless
By Gloria Wleh with New Narratives Summary: • Many Liberians are misusing antibiotics, antiparasitic, antifungal and antiviral drugs without prescriptions, creating what experts call “superbugs” – infections that are resistant to commonly available drugs. • Families are spending hundreds of U.S. dollars on ineffective treatments as superbugs lead to prolonged illnesses and hospital stays, with…
Rural Liberian Clinic Gets Overhaul After Investigation Exposed Maternal Health Crisis
By Siaway T. Miapue with New Narratives Summary: ARTHINGTON, Montserrado— More than a year after an investigation documented the deadly risks women faced giving birth at a rural government clinic here, the facility has been renovated and equipped with a new maternity ward, officials said at a dedication ceremony this month. The Church of Jesus…
Experts Link Rising Breast Cancer in Ghana to Air Pollution, Poor Women Most at Risk
By Jennifer Ambolley AGBOGBLOSHIE, Accra –Here in the notorious informal community on the edge of the capital city, Efua Mensah along with the rest of the market sellers, wakes up to a haze.The smoke from fires – cooking and waste burning – never leaves the 46-year-old cancer survivor. It curls over the wooden stalls and…
Augusta S. Lafalay Senior Reporting Fellow
Augusta S. Lafalay is a Liberian journalist with more than six years of experience. She currently serves as the judicial reporter for The Heritage newspaper and has been a New Narratives fellow since May. In addition to her reporting work, Augusta is a fact-checker at The Stage Media Liberia, where she helps combat misinformation by…
As Survey Finds Liberians Among the World’s Biggest Worriers, Experts Warn Stress Is Driving the Rise in Chronic Diseases Especially Among Women
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…
Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon Assistant Editor and Climate, Environment and Science Correspondent
Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon is a Liberian journalist with more than seven years of experience in the newsroom. He joined New Narratives in 2022 as a fellow with our US Embassy-funded program “Investigating Liberia”. Harmon is a 2019 graduate of the University of Liberia with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication. He also earned a…
As Survey Finds Liberians Among the World’s Biggest Worriers, Experts Warn Stress Is Driving the Rise in Chronic Diseases Especially Among Women
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…
Pilot Project Boosting Independent Revenue At Liberian Newsroom – Final Report
In 2025 New Narratives worked with digital transformation specialists InOldNews on a pilot project to boost the audience engagement and independent revenue of Liberia’s leading newsroom Front Page Africa. This final report showed impressive results that offer ideas for other newsrooms in low and lower-middle income countries….
“Excellence in Independent Journalism” Project in Liberia
“New Narratives is making a significant and meaningful contribution to the overall quantity and quality of independent journalism in Liberia by producing and diffusing high-quality reporting through media partners and other outlets. The evaluation found good evidence that many stories set the news agenda, strengthen the quality of public debate and have
sometimes led to concrete responses from public authorities. Stories and the framing of issues by New Narratives are often picked up by other media in their own reporting.”…
“Clean Air Reporting” Project in Ghana
“The report concludes that within a short space of time, the project has made commendable gains in raising awareness within and among media houses, effectively working with a relative handful of journalists and media houses that are the most credible and/or have largest audiences and most influential audiences. The gains can be seen as the beginning of a journey on the right path to generating and demanding more actions, accountability and solutions from the duty bearers (government, MDAs/MMDAs) to addressing Ghana’s serious air pollution scourge.”…
Solutions For Media Viability in Fragile Democracies: A New Project in Liberia Shows How AI and Digital Tools Can Bring New Revenue Sources to Independent Newsrooms
A groundbreaking pilot project funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, shows that AI and other new digital tools present promising new options for financial independence in West Africa’s leading newsrooms….
At Global Climate Summit, Government Pushes Ambitious Climate Goals as US Withdrawal Clouds Progress
Liberia is stepping forward with ambitious climate commitments at the 30th UN Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, pushing to cut emissions by 64% by 2035 while advancing its Vision 2030 development agenda. But progress is being challenged by shifting global politics, including the U.S. withdrawal from key climate commitments, raising concerns about reduced international support….
At Global Climate Summit, Government Pushes Ambitious Climate Goals as US Withdrawal Clouds Progress
By Aria Deemie, Climate Change Reporter with New Narratives Summary: The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference kicked off this week, in Belém, Brazil, marking what experts say could be one of the most decisive moments for global climate action. World leaders, activists, and negotiators are gathering to chart a path toward limiting global warming….