Liberia

Basic Information

• Assisting: 1,225 girls at the primary level
• Target areas of assistance: Montserrado County and Bong County
• Partners: Children's Assistance Program (CAP) working in Montserrado County and Development Education Network-Liberia (DEN-L) working in Bong County
• School year calendar: September - July

Program Overview

Selection Process

Scholars are selected through a transparent process which increases accountability and inclusiveness. The girls are chosen by selection committees which include representatives from Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender and Development, UNICEF, USAID, the NGO partners, community leaders, women leaders, teachers and health workers. Montserrado has one central committee (with different community representatives depending on where selection is taking place) and Bong County has a local committee in each of its project communities. Announcements and advertisements go out to the communities about the scholarship program and parents/guardians and girls are encouraged to apply to the selection committees for competitive selection. Interviews and screening of applicants are then conducted after which selection is completed. The scholarships are comprised of books, notebooks, pencils, pens, school fees, uniforms, rain coats, shoes and bicycles.

Mentors

Mentors are recruited by our NGO partners to serve as volunteers in the program. These are mainly women who are social workers, religious leaders, project officers with international organizations, lawyers, nurses, lecturers, city leaders, etc. The mentors will be actively monitoring the girls' academic work, organizing home visits, and will help to organize and supervise study groups both at the school and in the girls' homes. Mentoring programs are underway at the community level and several HIV awareness discussions as well as teenage pregnancy awareness talks have been held in many communities. Additional activities will cover leadership training and activities to build confidence and self-esteem. We expect the mentoring program in Liberia to not only improve their academic performance but also provide them with essential life skills.

Program Update

In Year 1, the AGSP in Liberia provided scholarships to 399 girls in Montserrado County and Bong County with assistance from an in-country consultant, Ms. Annette Kiawu. The AGSP activities in Year 1 were implemented as planned.

In Year 2, the scholarships were disbursed and the mentoring and community activities launched with a high level of enthusiasm and participation on the part of the girls and the communities. Our NGO partners were able to increase the targeted number of scholars to 1,018.

Year 3 began with the targeted number of scholars increasing to approximately 1,035; with subsequent reductions in fees at the basic education level, the number of scholars has increased to 1,225.