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: Youth find work meeting new needs September 14, 2012
Two young men sit outside the shop that's brought them a new source of income.
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Liberia: Nobel Peace Prize, elections and youth October 10, 2011
With the award of the Nobel Peace Prize last week to three influential women including two Liberians, the world will surely take notice of the October 11th elections in Liberia.
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Liberia: Delivering clean water to Ivorian refugees in Liberia May 3, 2011
Even though the political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) ended almost a month ago, a humanitarian catastrophe remains. More than a million Ivoriens fled their homes to escape fierce fighting during the crisis, including at least 135,000 people that escaped into neighboring Liberia.
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Liberia: More than 100,000 Ivorian refugees in Liberia April 11, 2011
Mercy Corps has deployed emergency staff who have conducted assessments in affected communities and are now focusing on urgent water and sanitation needs.
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Liberia: On market day in Gio Town, farmers learn a new way to extract palm oil March 31, 2010
Wednesday is market day in Gio Town, a small village in Liberia’s Grand Bassa County. By mid-morning the stalls are crowded with vendors and shoppers.
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Liberia: A sweet business: Cocoa brings new hope to Liberian farmers March 31, 2010
Liberia is a lush tropical rainforest, just the right climate to grow cocoa beans. And before the country’s two civil wars, it did just that.
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Liberia: Redefining success: My journey to Liberia March 17, 2010
Glance down a deeply rutted Monrovia side street and you may see, at the end of the block, a glimpse of palm trees, sandy coastline and the rolling ocean. Blink, and you may briefly imagine you’re in Mexico or another beachy getaway.
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Liberia: Changing her life with goats March 17, 2010
Victoria Dannies, 33, is divorced, with three daughters and two sons. Thanks to the training she received in Mercy Corps’ Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) programme, she’s able to take good care of herself and her children.
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Liberia: From war survivor to community leader March 17, 2010
Ellen Joe is 36 and divorced, with two daughters and two sons. She’s the chairwoman of the Gbarpaywhea Community Development Committee, which oversees the village peace, education, agriculture and health working groups.
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Liberia: Tiny and tough March 17, 2010
Annie Garfree is 42, with five daughters and one son. She’s soft-spoken, with smart eyes and a steely determination.