A recent study conducted by the Center for Health and Development (CHAD) has found that more than 8,000 unsafe abortions were recorded in Liberia, between January 2022 and December 2023.
Lela Precious, Executive Director of Help a Mother & Newborn Initiative (HAMNI), highlighted these alarming statistics during the official launch of the Echo Change Project — a bold, community-led campaign aimed at raising awareness about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and advocating for the passage of Liberia’s revised Public Health Law.
She stressed the urgency of the initiative, saying the CHAD study also found that “Liberia’s teenage pregnancy rate is 30.1%, and maternal mortality exceeds 700 deaths per 100,000 births—among the highest in the [West African] region.”
“These are not just numbers,” Precious said. “These are the lives of our sisters, mothers, and daughters,” she said.
With unsafe abortions linked to Liberia’s rising teenage pregnancy and maternal death rates, HAMNI’s six-month Echo Change Project seeks to empower youth and community members to become SRHR advocates.
HAMNI rolled out the project in May 2025, targeting Montserrado and Margibi counties.
“In Montserrado, we’re working in King Gray and New Kru Town, while in Margibi, our focus areas include Yarnwullie-Gbi, Cinta-Kakata, and Floko Town-Marshall,” said Qweta Chuku Gbaie, Project Lead. “We’re training 25 peer educators per community — young people who will lead discussions and drive awareness on reproductive health and rights.”
The project includes peer-to-peer education, stakeholder forums, and a broad media campaign.
“We want communities to understand their rights, the laws that protect them, and how they can influence health policies that affect their lives,” Gbaie added.
At the heart of HAMNI’s effort is Section 49.5 of the draft Public Health Bill, currently before the Legislature, which addresses unsafe abortion as a public health issue rather than a criminal matter.
And, as CHAD’s research shows, limited access to reproductive health education and services continues to drive these troubling trends. Precious, therefore, emphasized the need for a legal framework that ensures access to safe and informed reproductive healthcare.
“This project amplifies the voices of women and youth so they can help shape policies that directly impact them,” Precious said. “We are calling on the Legislature to act now and pass the revised Public Health Law.”
Titus Kpallah, a health policy consultant and advisor to the Echo Change Project, echoed the call for legislative action.
“With shrinking donor support — especially from key partners like USAID — Liberia is losing critical resources for maternal health and unsafe abortion interventions,” he noted. “This project fills a crucial gap. It will raise awareness, engage policymakers, and advocate for laws that reflect the health realities of today — not those from 1950 or 1976.”
Kpallah criticized the outdated nature of Liberia’s current Public Health Law, saying it fails to provide the protections and healthcare access women and girls need.
“We must move beyond criminalization and toward a law that ensures dignity, equality, and access to care. The health of our nation’s women cannot wait,” he urged.
Organizers say the Echo Change Project is not just a short-term awareness campaign, but a platform for long-term transformation in how Liberia approaches SRHR.
“By October 2025, we expect communities to be better informed, more engaged, and equipped to take their knowledge into town halls, clinics—and even into legislative hearings,” said Precious.
