MONROVIA, September 29, 2026 — The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has launched a three-day National Co-Creation Workshop aimed at developing an implementation plan for the Faith and Community Initiative (FCI), a program designed to strengthen collaboration among government, faith-based organizations, community leaders and frontline health workers.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop Monday, Chief Medical Officer and Acting Minister of Health Dr. Catherine T. Cooper said Liberia can build a stronger and more sustainable health system only when communities are actively involved in designing, implementing and evaluating health interventions.
“This initiative provides an opportunity to improve community engagement, strengthen health education, encourage early care-seeking, address misinformation, promote disease prevention and increase public trust in the health system,” Cooper said.
She reaffirmed the Ministry of Health’s commitment to ensuring that all Liberians, regardless of where they live, have access to quality, affordable, respectful and equitable healthcare.
Cooper, however, stressed that the government cannot achieve that goal alone, underscoring the importance of partnerships with faith-based institutions, communities and other stakeholders.
Also speaking, U.S. Government Foreign Assistance Lead Jan Scislowicz highlighted the U.S. Government’s America First Global Health Strategy and the bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Government of Liberia in December 2025.
Scislowicz said the U.S. strategy is intended to make the United States safer, stronger and more secure, while the bilateral partnership seeks to contribute to a safer, stronger and more prosperous Liberia.
He said a major objective of the MOU is to strengthen Liberia’s capacity to operate a more sovereign and sustainable healthcare system, with greater responsibility and ownership gradually shifting to the Government of Liberia and the Ministry of Health.
“The MOU also seeks to move away from highly disease-specific programs toward stronger health systems capable of responding to both existing and emerging public health threats,” he said.
For her part, World Vision Associate Vice President Susan Otchere, representing the consortium supporting the initiative, said the Faith and Community Initiative is being implemented across 17 countries.
She said the initiative has three major objectives: strengthening community and frontline health workers; strengthening existing faith and community platforms and linking them with government health systems; and supporting the transition of strengthened community health structures into sustainable government and faith-community systems.
According to Otchere, the global initiative aims to strengthen approximately 30,000 community and frontline health workers and support 2,500 faith institutions to deliver integrated health services across participating countries.
The three-day workshop is expected to bring stakeholders together to develop a coordinated implementation plan for the initiative in Liberia, with emphasis on strengthening community participation and building a more sustainable health system.
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