Liberia
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Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps
Our strategy
Accelerate Liberia’s economic development by addressing youth employment and local capacity-building.
The context
Although Liberia's economy is growing at an impressive rate — mainly because of price increases in extractive commodities such as rubber, palm oil and minerals — the current GDP is only one-eighth of what it was before the 1986-1996 and 1999-2003 civil wars. Corruption remains widespread, and social-welfare indicators are worse than most other countries. Three-quarters of the population lives below the poverty line of a U.S. dollar a day.
Our work
- Children & Youth: Increasing access to basic alternative education for out-of-school adolescents and young adults
- Economic opportunity: Connecting youth with apprenticeships and financial training and services to secure productive employment
- Emergency response: Meeting water and sanitation needs of refugees from Cote d’Ivoire
All stories about Liberia
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Liberia: 'How da body?' November 13, 2009
Pounding rain, deep red mud...and a hundred smiles.
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Liberia: Cocoa, arm wrestling and opportunity November 12, 2009
Annie Garfree has six children, three daughters and three sons. Only her boys are currently in school. But she's eager to make sure all of them get an education.
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Liberia: Liberian people are "tryin' small" November 8, 2009
I'm visiting our programs in Liberia, my first trip to the field since I came to work at Mercy Corps two and a half years ago. On this first day in the capital, Monrovia, I'm getting oriented. Tomorrow we'll head out to Buchanan and Tubmanburg to talk to the people we work with.
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Liberia: Women take the lead August 27, 2009
As long as I can remember, there’s been a world map hanging in my grandmother’s kitchen.
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Liberia: Clean Water and a Fresh Start July 18, 2007
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Liberia: Victoria: Raising Awareness, Reducing Risk November 30, 2006
Victoria Nayou is a 24-year-old mother of two who lives in one of the most remote regions of Liberia, a tiny West African country struggling to emerge from the long shadows of conflict and poverty.
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Liberia: Score One for AIDS Awareness June 23, 2006
Many young people in Liberia subscribe to some of the more dangerous myths about HIV and AIDS. Some believe it comes from the neighboring country of Cote D'Ivoire; others say it is spread through dog bites.
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Liberia: The Power of Water April 7, 2006
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Liberia: Narrowing Education's Gender Gap March 7, 2006
Karto, Liberia — The sturdy new schoolhouse in this rural farming village of 2,000 represents a new hope — especially for young women like Margaret. Currently, she is one of 90 million girls around the world who don't go to school.
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Liberia: Spreading the Word December 1, 2005
Tuzan Village, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia - On the stoop of a gray mud house near the center of this lush farming village, Jessica Quarles pulls aside adolescent boys and young women, one by one, to get their thoughts on the biggest public-health risk to their generation.