USAID/OTI Liberia Field Report
May 2005
Program Description
The Liberia Transition Initiatives (LTI) supports youth-focused efforts to advance prospects for an inclusive, peaceful, political transition in Liberia in the context of the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Accord. By increasing public understanding of key political transition issues, and promoting participatory community reintegration and peaceful resolution of conflict, LTI is helping to build the momentum for peace. Creative Associates International Inc. implements the $16,500,000 LTI program through the Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) training program and technical assistance for the Ministry of Education-USAID/Liberia Accelerated Learning Program for over-age children. Small community-focused grants reinforce YES training and facilitate youth leadership development. Mercy Corps and a consortium of World Vision, Action Aid and Search for Common Ground are implementing partners for the YES program.
Country Situation
Truth and Reconciliation Law Stalled – The National Transitional Legislative Assembly passed the act to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on May 12; however, a motion to reconsider the act was introduced. Scheduled hearings on the motion have been postponed several times over the past month.
Voter Registration Ends – The one-month official voter registration ended on May 25 for the October 2005 legislative and presidential election, the event that will mark the end of this political transition in Liberia. The National Elections Commission (NEC) reported that approximately 1.3 million Liberians registered. According to the 2004 Electoral Reform Law, the voter registration figures will be used by NEC to delimit House and Senate seats.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) conducted a six-day pre-election observation mission to assess the progress of voter registration and the overall environment for Liberia's forthcoming election. The IRI team found the registration process credible, and indicated that further improvements, including increased civic education, would strengthen the election. The delegation was led by retired U.S. Ambassador Robert Gribbin.
U.S. Congress Taylor Resolution – The U.S. Congress passed a resolution calling on Nigeria to extradite former Liberian President Charles Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone. In a news release, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) indicated that Taylor continues to violate the terms of his exile by his involvement in Liberian politics in a manner that undermines the peace process in Liberia and poses a threat to regional stability. During his visit to the United States, the Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, stated that his country granted Charles Taylor exile in order to end the war in Liberia in 2003. He indicated that Nigeria would honor the terms of that agreement, despite calls by the U.S. Congress, the chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and others that Taylor be extradited. President Obasanjo has stated that Nigeria would extradite the former president only if an elected Liberian government made such a request.
Army Restructuring – By signing an executive order calling for the restructuring of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the chairman of the National Transitional Government (NTGL) enabled progress on achieving a key provision of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. The restructuring will set the stage for security-sector reform that will greatly influence the stability of this transition. The NTGL pledged $1 million, the government of the People's Republic of China pledged $1 million, and the Firestone Co. said it would pre-pay $2.5 million in taxes to support costs associated with the demobilization and cashiering of AFL members. The U.S. government will provide significant funding for overall security-sector reform that will include the development and training of a new army, police and VIP protection personnel.
Cote d'Ivoire Disarmament Agreement – Representatives of the government of Cote d'Ivoire and the rebel Forces Nouvelles reached an agreement that calls for both pro-government militias and rebels to be disarmed, a key condition for gaining Forces Nouvelles' acceptance. Despite confirmed recruitment of mercenaries by both sides, the disarmament agreement and the formation of an alliance between the two main opposition leaders promote cautious optimism that the military stalemate will end in Cote d'Ivoire and thus enhance the likelihood of greater stability in the sub-region. Conflict in Cote d'Ivoire follows a north-south ethnic divide generally, and tends to spill over into Liberia and exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the border areas between the two countries.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
Liberia Transition Initiatives' implementing partners have concentrated significant effort on recruiting and training Local Facilitators who are responsible for delivering Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) training at the community level. Partner Mercy Corps trained 242 Local Facilitators, while the World Vision, Action Aid and Search for Common Ground consortium recruited 140.
The second cycle of training in the abbreviated Community Youth Peace Education (CYPEP) program for urban and peri-urban youths began in seven flashpoint communities in Monrovia. Liberia Transition Initiatives' (LTI's) local implementing partners started the first cycle of training in 46 neighborhoods in Ganta, Nimba; Kakata, Margibi; and Gbarnga, Bong counties, all with sizable youth and ex-combatant populations. Twenty-six Local Facilitators and Master Trainers also completed a CYPEP training of trainers in Tubman, Bomi County.
Renovation of 4 out of 15 parochial schools where the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) for over-age children is/or will be conducted is under way. The remaining schools and their communities are working to put in place their in-kind contributions. Additionally, more than 400 teachers have been trained in ALP methodology. And 21,000 primary-school textbooks have been distributed.
B. Grant Activity Summary
LTI expanded its grants activities in communities supporting the delivery of the YES program. Eleven community-focused grants were approved for YES communities in three counties. Implementing-partner field staff assisted YES participants and community members in prioritizing project ideas that included the identification of locally available resources that the communities could use to achieve the objectives of the grants. Community projects include cassava-grinding machines that will significantly reduce the labor of the mainly female population who process cassava. And the machines will generate income as well.
Additional grants include the construction of guest houses and teachers' quarters for the temporary housing of essential community workers. Other priorities were identified as wells for safe drinking water.
| Civil Society Org. Support |
$ 30,203 |
$ 281,080 |
1 |
17 |
| Community Impact Activities |
$ 74,381 |
$ 1,238,707 |
12 |
55 |
| Conflict Management |
|
$ 699,686 |
|
28 |
| Election Process |
|
$ 170,405 |
|
7 |
| Justice/Human Right |
|
$ 412,288 |
|
18 |
| Media |
|
$ 367,612
| |
12 |
| Good Governance |
|
$ 1,061,161
| |
36 |
| Youth Training / Reintegration |
|
$ 231,390
| |
8 |
| Total |
$104,584 |
$4,462,329
| 13 |
181 |
C. Indicator of Success
OTI/Liberia, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agreed to collaborate on youth-program activities because young people will play a significant role in how the political transition and its aftermath unfold. First, each organization agreed that LTI's Youth Education for Life Skills implementing partners would be included in the inter-agency group that is assisting the National Transitional Government in developing a national youth policy, an outcome anticipated from a Liberian youth conference scheduled for July.
Second, it was agreed that LTI would explore ways to link YES participants, youth-team members, Master Trainers and Local Facilitators to the UNDP/UNESCO Foundation for Africa's Future Leadership Program. Third, UNDP and LTI agreed to support existing sub-regional youth initiatives such as the Mano River Union forum. Finally, it is anticipated that regular joint meetings with the Minister of Youth and Sports will be held to review the progress and challenges of youth programming.
The Ministry of Education has asked LTI to conduct additional Accelerated Learning Program teacher training because the demand for ALP classes and qualified teachers far exceeds what is available.
D. Program Appraisal
YES implementing partners completed the selection of communities for the first cycle of training. Outreach to familiarize communities with YES also has started. A recent visit by the LTI Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist suggests that further effort is required if participants, communities and implementing-partner staff are to fully understand the possibilities and limitations of the YES program.
Partners continue to report that it is a challenge to identify qualified Local Facilitators (LFs) who are responsible for conducting YES training in communities. That is because the quality of the educational system during the years of civil conflict was, and remains, substandard generally. In addition, there is a problem of retention. LFs are volunteers who are supposed to be supported by their communities. The $15 monthly provided to them by the implementing partners is considered only an incentive stipend that must be augmented by their communities. The widespread practice of paying communities to involve them in project implementation during the humanitarian phase has resulted in expectations that cannot be met if a transition to sustainable development is to occur. OTI has proposed that implementing partners train alternate LFs to address the retention issue. And it is envisioned that the status derived from Local Facilitator involvement in the implementation of community-focused reintegration projects will also assist with retention and with the development of leadership skills.
Obtaining adequate lighting for YES evening training remains a challenge to a conducive learning environment, despite implementing-partner efforts.
While the Accelerated Learning Program is expanding through LTI efforts both in teacher training and the renovation of ALP schools, the overall lack of training for teachers has crippled the educational system. The failure of the National Transitional Government to pay teachers regularly is also a serious impediment. As USAID/Liberia develops a post-transition strategy, its ability to build upon the ALP will depend upon the availability of qualified teachers and the payment of their salaries, as well as an improved capacity of the Ministry of Education.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
- Place contractor staff outside of Monrovia in order to strengthen the delivery and monitoring of YES community-focused reintegration activities.
- Conclude Local Facilitator training by the implementing partners.
- Begin YES training in all selected communities.
- Disseminate YES grants-procedures guidelines.
- Design ALP in-service teacher training.
- Finalize LTI monitoring and evaluation plan.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Donna Kerner, Senior Program Manager, 202-712-0716, dkerner@usaid.gov
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