Liberia
Liberia is a small West African country, bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean to the west, Sierra Leone and Guinea to the north and the Ivory Coast to the east. Meaning “land of freedom,” Liberia was the first official republic in Africa. The terrain is varied, with coastal plains, hills, plateaus and rainforests, and the climate is tropical and humid.
Stories in Liberia
Blessing joined Plan International’s Girls Advocacy Alliance, a group that establishes safe spaces for girls to become leaders in their communities. She became an active member, recognized for her commitment and passion. And then, armed with her new confidence, Blessing decided to return to school, while still continuing her advocacy work.
“Seeing what I went through as a teenager — coming from a poor family, getting pregnant and dropping out of school — I don’t want other girls to experience the same,” Blessing says.
Blessing was chosen to be the keynote speaker at a Plan campaign event in Liberia. Her speech focused on gender equality. She challenged her peers to do more to fight discrimination, and she called for harsher penalties for gender-based violence.
“My advocacy is about giving girls the opportunity to make good decisions and right choices. Our government needs to create spaces for girls to develop and learn so that they can become future leaders.”
But COVID-19 threatens all of her plans.
“I am upset,” Praise said about missing school. “I miss my subjects, I miss my classmates and my teachers.”
Praise tries to spend time every day reading her old textbooks so she doesn’t fall too far behind. But she finds it hard without anyone to guide her or answer her questions.
“I am afraid the world will continue to be locked down,” she said. “It will delay girls’ education, and many may not be able to graduate as planned.”
Praise, and girls like her in Liberia and around the world, shouldn’t have to sacrifice their futures because of a crisis. They need educational resources at home, and a guarantee that they’ll be back in the classroom as soon as it’s safe to be there. Plan is working to make sure that’s what happens.
Plan International has been working to improve children’s lives in Liberia since 1981.
:03 (OPENING SLATE) MEET KEMA, A PLAN INTERNATIONAL SPONSORED CHILD FROM LIBERIA WHERE YOUR SPONSORED CHILD LIVES. WE GAVE HER A CAMERA TO SHOW US A DAY IN HER LIFE. <br /> :10 My name is Kema. I am 11 years old. I am a sponsored child. <br /> :17 I live in Liberia. This is my family. <br /> :24 This is my house. <br /> :27 These are my dogs. <br /> :32 This is me and my sister’s room. <br /> :34 When I wake up in the morning, I take a bath, then I brush my teeth. <br /> :43 My father is a farmer. <br /> :47 This is my father’s rice farm. <br /> :52 Kema, when you are rooting out the grass, you should pack it. <br /> :56 If you drop it on the ground and don’t pack it, it will regrow. <br /> 1:00 I live with my father. <br /> 1:02 My mother died during the Ebola time, <br /> 1:05 from a car accident. <br /> 1:14 - Have you chosen your players? <br /> 1:16 Yes I have, but your pieces are bigger than mine. <br /> 1:20 I will win again. <br /> 1:22 (TEXT) KEMA AND HER FATHER ARE PLAYING A GAME CALLED ‘CHECK UP’ TOGETHER. <br /> 1:28 This is how we get water from the creek to our house. <br /> 1:33 The water in our community is not safe for consumption. <br /> 1:37 We need safe drinking water. <br /> 1:41 (TEXT) PLAN INTERNATIONAL IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE HEALTH AND WATER SITUATION IN KEMA’S COMMUNITY. <br /> 1:49 This is my school. <br /> 1:52 This is my classroom. <br /> 1:56 My best subject is Mathematics. <br /> 2:01 (TEXT) VICTOR M. JACKSON <br /> COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACILITATOR <br /> 2:01 - Good morning, everybody. <br /> Good morning, Uncle Victor! <br /> 2:06 Oh I am so good, and how are you all doing? <br /> 2:09 Fine, thank you! <br /> 2:10 We will be discussing child rights. The rights of you as a child. <br /> 2:15 (TEXT) PLAN INTERNATIONAL HOST LESSONS TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS. <br /> 2:21 Why do we sleep under the mosquito net? <br /> 2:23 It is to protect us from mosquito bites. <br /> 2:25 Good! Give yourselves a round of applause. Good, good! <br /> 2:29 I want to become a doctor. <br /> 2:32 I will save and treat others. <br /> 2:36 I communicate with my sponsor through letters. I write them and they write me back. <br /> 2:44 It was a good day. <br /> 2:46 I am happy to be a sponsored child. <br /> 2:48 Goodnight. Bye bye!
Plan stats in Liberia
Office & operations
Plan’s country office is located in Monrovia, with program unit offices in Lofa and Bomi.
Technical areas
Protection, Skills & Work, Youth Voices, Health
Number of sponsored children
As of June 2020, people like you sponsor 13,807 children in Liberia through Plan International.
When you sponsor a child through through Plan, you form an incredible friendship.
But that’s just the beginning. With Plan, you also have the unique opportunity to:
Send her birthday gifts and cards.
Give her special holiday presents called Little Treasures.
Subscribe her to Plan’s educational kids’ magazine, Sunny Days.
— Visit her (when travel restrictions are lifted), with individual travel assistance from us.
Each gift offering is safely hand-delivered by us, and given to your child with personalized cards from you. It’s likely that the child you sponsor will have never seen anything like these gifts, and they’re available year-round to make the bond between you and your sponsored child even stronger.
Meet a child to sponsor