USAID/OTI Liberia Field Report
November 2004
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
WARRING FACTIONS DISBAND The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the fighting in Liberia in July 2003 calls for the disbanding of all factions to coincide with the end of disarmament. On November 3, 2004, the leaders representing the three factions the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), and the (Taylor) Government of Liberia (GOL) signed a joint declaration formally dissolving their respective groups.
ECOWAS ANNOUNCES AND CANCELS LURD ELECTIONS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced that LURD would hold leadership elections on November 20 in order to identify the representatives with which the international community could engage in dialogue following the dissolution of the faction. The announcement sent mixed signals and raised concern as to whether or not ECOWAS had endorsed the transformation of LURD into a political party. Prior to the scheduled date, ECOWAS cancelled the election.
ELECTION REFORM CALLED INTO QUESTION The National Transitional Legislative Authority (NTLA) passed a modified version of the electoral reform bill submitted by the National Elections Commission. Experts believe the bill will either delay the elections scheduled for October 2005 and/or allow for elections that will not meet international standards.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
The violent riots that occurred in late October and into the first week of November forced a slowdown of grant activities. Monrovia was under curfew the entire month and OTI operations were limited. LTI initiated several grant activities designed to alleviate displacement of students caused by damage to their schools and to put in place activities targeting youth in the riot-affected communities of Monrovia.
The formal Youth Education for Life Skills program officially got underway in all 40 pilot communities spread across four counties. LTI staff are monitoring the beginnings of the training and its impact on community reintegration.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, preparations have been made to convene a curriculum advisory committee to upgrade the national primary school curriculum. Additionally, development of the Accelerated Learning Program training-of-trainers manual for master trainers is well underway.
B. Grant Activity Summary
| Civil Society Support |
|
$ 218,592 |
|
13 |
| Community Impact Activities |
$ 42,900 |
$ 761,163 |
1 |
21 |
| Conflict Management |
$168,824 |
$ 585,969 |
7 |
22 |
| Election Process |
|
$ 1,285 |
|
1 |
| Justice/Human Right |
|
$ 407,220 |
|
14 |
| Media |
|
$ 270,409
| |
7 |
| Good Governance |
|
$1,175,301 |
|
34 |
| Youth Training |
|
$ 20,000 |
|
1 |
| TOTAL |
$211,724 |
$3,439,939 |
8 |
113 |
C. Indicators of Success
- LTI convened and hosted a peace-building meeting to coordinate responses to the October violence that was characterized as inter-religious. This meeting resulted in the establishment of a working group of youth and peace education national and international NGOs.
- OTI worked with U.S. Department of Defense officials to identify possible sources of funding to assist schools that were burned in the disturbances.
D. Program Appraisal
The program moved swiftly to quell the initial perception that the October violence was religious-based by utilizing media, the small grants mechanism, and modifying the YES program curriculum to include those modules pertaining to conflict resolution and peace building. The modified curriculum will be delivered by three new grantees to youth, (largely ex-combatants) who were the main perpetrators of the recent violence, in 14 urban communities in and around greater Monrovia.
The extraordinary spate of violence, which included the burning of faith-based schools and places of worship, had an enormous adverse impact on program staffs ability to maintain the pace of grant development during this reporting period.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
- Expand the YES program nationwide through the review and preparation of cooperative agreements.
- Establish a curriculum review committee to review and update the national primary school curriculum to enhance the Accelerated Learning Program.
- Identify linkages between YES communities and grants to support community-based initiatives that complement activities of other USAID agencies and activities.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: John Gattorn, Liberia Program Manager, 202-712-4168, jgattorn@usaid.gov
|
