— Underscore key challenges and advance new recommendations during the mid-term review
The Liberia National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) and its partner, the Swedish Red Cross, last week convened in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, for a mid-term review of the three-year Green Inclusive and Resilient Liberian Community (GIRL) Project.
This initiative, active in Grand Kru, Sinoe, and River Gee counties, aims to build community resilience, promote climate change adaptation, and strengthen local health and disaster risk reduction capacity. The Swedish Embassy in Monrovia supports the LNRCS GIRL project through the Swedish Red Cross. The project is set to conclude in December 2025.
Under the theme “Empowering Communities and Strengthening Their Future”, the two-day review, held June 27 through 28, 2024, highlighted the project’s timeline, key achievements, challenges, and new recommendations for improvement. Addressing participants at the opening of the MTR, Gregory T. Blamoh, LNRCS Secretary General, expressed pride in the project’s successes while acknowledging ongoing challenges.
“Our mid-term review is also recommending new actionable steps to enhance our impact,” Blamoh stated, extending gratitude to the Swedish Embassy and the Swedish Red Cross for their support.
He emphasized the project’s role in paving the way for a greener and more resilient future for the communities involved.
Armel Komena, the Country Representative of the Swedish Red Cross, praised the project’s impact and noted positive feedback from a recent audit. “We are making progress together, but it is good to reflect and identify our key achievements, and challenges, and advance new recommendations in meeting the project goals and objectives,” Komena emphasized.
The MTR identified several key successes, including the establishment of Community Information Centers in six communities. Equipped with amplifiers, batteries, stabilizers, horn speakers, solar panels, solar lights, and microphones, these centers facilitate early warning and information sharing on disaster risk reduction.
They are located in Podroken and Martuaken in River Gee, Piddy and Nyambo in Grand Kru, and Kwitatuzon and Seeton New Town in Sinoe, and connect with local radio stations to relay information, ensuring community members stay informed.
Significant achievements were also noted in the project’s health component, particularly in water and sanitation activities over the first 18 months. The LNRCS repaired several damaged hand pumps, constructed new ones, and established and trained water committees.
A cash box system has been introduced for community members to contribute to the maintenance of the hand pumps, leading to increased access to safe drinking water and improved health outcomes.
The MTR also reviewed the Community Action Plan developed for the 12 communities, describing its impact on the ground as remarkable and exceptional. Community cleaning was highlighted as a remarkable milestone. Although claims of reduced water-borne diseases from the clean-up efforts are yet to be verified, the communities are visibly cleaner and greener, contributing to a healthier environment and the project’s overall success.
The LNRCS GIRL project has also established various community structures, including the Red Cross Community-based Action Teams (CBATs) for disaster risk response and early warning, mother clubs for health awareness, farmer groups for smart agricultural activities, and WASH Committees to ensure the functionality and safety of community hand pumps.
Community members have received training and tools and are now carrying out activities for early warning systems, climate-smart livelihood practices, and disaster risk reduction practices. Regular community clean-ups, meetings to discuss problems and make collective decisions, and awareness-raising activities on fire, storms, and health have been conducted.
The construction of family latrines and efforts to control wastewater have resulted in reduced mosquito populations and a decrease in malaria cases. The constant functionality of hand pumps has ensured sustained availability of safe drinking water and reduced conflict over water access, which are some of the results of the Red Cross intervention in the communities.
Despite logistical constraints, the team managed with the existing capacities and logistics in the first phase of the project implementation. However, the MTR has recommended several new ways of working, including the procurement of additional motorbikes for field staff and increased monitoring visits in the project communities.
The LNRCS has also decided to work with community members to improve the roof and seat of their locally constructed latrines. The review meeting also recommended increasing the number of local farmers participating in technical training to enhance local capacity and understanding among community farmers.
