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…
‘Jaw Dropping’ El Niño” Could Test Liberia’s Weak Weather Warning System and Put Thousands of Lives at Risk, Experts Warn
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon, climate and environment reporter with New Narratives Summary The sea off Liberia turns a deceptive shade of calm every year around this time as the rains give way to the dry season – warm, glassy, inviting. But Nathaniel Blama, Liberia’s former chief environmental regulator, has learned to read that as a…
Experts Raise an Alarm as Aid Cuts and Price Rises Lead to Tripling of Babies Suffering Acute Malnutrition
In Liberia, health experts are sounding the alarm as childhood acute malnutrition has nearly tripled, driven by aid cuts, rising food prices, and growing poverty. Families in rural communities are struggling to feed their children, while clinics report shortages of lifesaving nutritional treatments that once helped keep vulnerable babies alive. Officials warn that without urgent…
Families live with hidden risks from lead as battery recycling pollutes the air
By JENNIFER AMBOLLEY ASHAIMAN, Accra — Salma Iddrisu sits beside her large pan here in the centre of the Ashaiman scrapyard, selling food to workers as the day’s activities go on around her. The 38-year-old has been doing this for the past six years. She arrives in the morning, sets up her food and can…
Families live with hidden risks from lead as battery recycling pollutes the air
In Ghana’s Ashaiman scrapyard, families are unknowingly facing serious health risks from lead pollution linked to informal battery recycling. Parents work and children spend time near sites where old batteries are broken open, releasing toxic lead dust and fumes into the air, soil, and food. Health experts warn that lead exposure can cause anemia, hearing…
Call for Proposals: Video Report on the Excellence in Investigative Journalism Project
New Narratives seeks a video team to produce a documentary report of under 8 minutes, plus short clips for social media and websites, on the impact of its Excellence in Investigative Journalism project in Liberia. *PLEASE NOTE the deadline has been extended to October 18* Commissioned by New Narratives Deliverables One video under…