Liberia: Empowering Communities to Address Urban Challenges

Project Overview

With a population exceeding its planned capacity, Monrovia's unplanned slum communities struggle with rapid population growth, internal migration, and limited expansion options due to coastal geography. Political, economic, and healthcare transitions remain significant hurdles to community resilience, as demonstrated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ebola epidemic, and civil conflict. 

The YMCA of Liberia and the Federation of Liberia Urban Poor Savers (FOLUPS) have been working with multi-country stakeholders to support and empower communities to effectively respond to and address these shocks. 

The project aims to combat these issues through community engagement, peer education, and collaboration with local stakeholders. Additionally, the Subject to Citizen (S2C) concept empowers young people through vocational training and skill development, improving their livelihood opportunities and creating socio-economic resilience while fostering their active participation in nation-building endeavours. 

This project is part of the Building Resilience in Informal Settlements Programme, a partnership between Cities Alliance and Slum Dwellers International (SDI), funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), to support civil society organisations working in informal settlements.

Initial Project Results: 2022-2024

A total of 60 federation members have successfully completed training, alongside an additional 60 individuals from informal settlements. This initiative aims to empower community members with essential skills and resources.

To support hygiene practices, 60 hand-washing buckets were distributed. Additionally, 360 disinfectants were provided to targeted communities, resulting in 2,408 community members using hand-wash buckets before and after the use of facilities, with 1,828 females and 580 males benefiting.

A series of 6 waste disposal campaigns were conducted, involving 60 trained peer educators, 6 local leaders, and 6 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). This collaborative effort aims to promote proper waste disposal practices and environmental stewardship within the communities.

Maintenance support was extended to 50 public facilities, including toilets and water kiosks, across 6 settlements. This initiative ensures the sustainability and functionality of essential community infrastructure.

In support of advocacy and communications activities, 1,200 copies of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials were printed. These materials serve as valuable resources for raising awareness and disseminating important information within the targeted communities.

Key Achievements: 2022-2024