USAID/OTI Liberia Field Report
January 2005
Program Description
The Liberia Transition Initiatives (LTI) supports efforts to advance prospects for an inclusive, peaceful, political transition in Liberia in the context of the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA). By restoring critical transitional governance and civil society functions, increasing public understanding of key political transition issues, and promoting community reintegration and peaceful resolution of conflict, LTI is enhancing the momentum for building peace. Creative Associates International, Inc. implements the $16,500,000 LTI program through a small grants component, the Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) program and technical assistance for the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP).
Country Situation
October 2004 Riots Investigated – The Chairman of the National Transitional Government (NTGL) appointed a 15-person commission to investigate the riots of October 29-November 2, 2004, during which schools, business and places of worship were burned.
Unrest in Maryland County – On January 22-23, residents of Maryland County in the southeast of the country stormed security installations, demanding action against persons suspected of ritualistic killings. The Minister of Justice, the NTGL Security Advisor, and United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) helped to restore calm. A dusk to dawn curfew was imposed and remains in effect.
Chinese Donate Rice – The Government of China announced the donation of 4,000 metric tons of rice to assist efforts by the NTGL to bring down the price of the staple food. The sharp increase in the price caused widespread concern about the potentially destabilizing effect. Retail market vendors rejected calls for a mass protest demonstration, preferring to work with the NTGL to resolve the price issue.
Counties Declared Ready for Returnees – On January 27, the Security Assessment Committee for Resettlement (SACR) announced that seven additional counties are ready to receive returnees, bringing to 13 the total number of counties. Only Sinoe and Grand Kru Counties have not been declared ready. The SACR made clear that its pronouncement was based not on an assessment of security conditions, but rather the ability of the UN system in Liberia to respond to the needs of returnees in the counties.
New IDP Plan Unveiled – On January 31, the UNMIL Humanitarian Coordinator announced a new plan for increasing the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Under the plan, IDPS are encouraged to make their own way home with transport assistance provided only for vulnerable persons. Additionally, food and non-food items which constitute the "return package" are being pre-positioned as close as possible to areas of return. Transit sites have been established in Sinje and Bo Waterside in Cape Mount County, Tubmanburg in Bomi County, and Gbarnga in Bong County.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
LTI is delivering both the rural-based Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) program and the urban-based Youth Community Peace Education program in over 47 communities with approximately 2,500 participants. Monitoring is underway to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and to inform the scaling up of the full YES program. The YES Curriculum Advisory Committee will reconvene in February to adjust the curriculum accordingly and to add components such as voter education and information on the new Customary Marriage and Inheritance law that ensures greater ownership of land/property to married women as well as addresses the rights of youth under customary practices.
Staff conducted a training of trainers workshop for 50 Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) Master trainers who are expected to conduct training for 800 ALP teachers over the next several months.
B. Grant Activity Summary
During the month of January, LTI focused efforts on improving systems of transparency and accountability, key issues in the run-up to elections scheduled for later this year. LTI also continued efforts to alleviate potential sources of violent conflict. Accordingly, LTI:
- Supported the Center for Transparency and Democracy in Liberia (CENTAL) to provide training to 12 civil society organizations to sharpen their corruption tracking skills. CENTAL will also track the outcome of incidents of corruption and governance reform reported in the local media and through other sources. Anti-corruption activities have been at the center of national dialogue and public concerns during the past several months. CENTAL intends to review a number of newspapers and document follow-up actions to reports in order to raise awareness.
- Supported efforts by the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) to operate in an open, transparent manner by providing assistance for a complete financial and administrative audit. In a second grant, LTI funded a strategic planning workshop for the PUL.
- Signed a grant that will enable the City Council of Paynesville to repair and expand the taxi park near the Red Light Market, a site of destabilizing violent riots as well as a major traffic thoroughfare leading from Monrovia to the north of the country.
| Civil Society Support |
$23,700 |
$ 243,292 |
1 |
14 |
| Community Impact Activities |
$12,355 |
$ 778,141 |
1 |
22 |
| Conflict Management |
$90,040 |
$ 738,642 |
2 |
28 |
| Election Process |
|
$ 21,285 |
|
2 |
| Justice/Human Right |
|
$ 440,645 |
|
15 |
| Media |
85,950 |
$ 361,759
| 4 |
11 |
| Good Governance |
$10,000 |
$1,179,937 |
1 |
35 |
| Youth Training/Reintegration |
|
$ 16,642 |
|
2 |
| TOTAL |
$222,045 |
$3,780,343 |
9 |
129 |
C. Indicators of Success
- LTI delivered guidelines to YES implementing partners about small grants initiatives which will support YES program participants and their communities.
- OTI staff collaborated with other USAID agencies and the US Embassy to influence United Nations decision-makers to move forward in a concrete way to address the issues of formal education for ex-combatants and the return of IDPs, both key for the success of reintegration as well as the October 2005 elections.
D. Program Appraisal
The program built upon the success and timeliness of the Community Youth Peace Education (a YES program adaptation) grants by supporting efforts to reduce congestion and provide additional space for economic livelihoods in four of the seven "hot spot" communities where this program is being implemented. Initial response has led to the identification of opportunities to expand the program to support other peri-urban communities outside of Monrovia where LTI grants are facilitating reintegration.
Expenditures of small grants funding has slowed as LTI makes greater efforts to more closely link grants and to work through YES community structures in grants-making.
Efforts to more fully engage the Ministry of Education in the implementation of the ALP have not been as successful as desired. The Ministry's advocacy for the payment of teacher salaries has been ineffective thus threatening the availability of adequate numbers of trained ALP teachers.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
- Moving the YES program nationwide through cooperative agreements with implementing partners.
- Conducting pre-service for ALP teachers.
- Mid-term program review February 28 and March 1.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: John Gattorn, Liberia Program Manager, 202-712-4168, jgattorn@usaid.gov
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