By Naneka A. Hoffman
Plan Liberia International (PLI) has held a three-day onboarding workshop for partners involved in the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP).
As the lead service provider, PLI will implement this 36-month initiative in collaboration with six association members, including CRS, AcidAid Liberia, Media Liberia, DCI, FCI, and KEEP. Additionally, two professional service providers, Raising Voices and VIAMO, are part of this impactful project.
The LWEP, supported by the World Bank through Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, aims to enhance women’s empowerment by addressing social norms, improving livelihoods, and strengthening national institutions.
The project will be executed over 36 months and is structured around several key components:
Social Norms and Community Mobilization, which focuses on addressing gender inequality and gender-based violence (GBV), particularly intimate partner violence, at the community level.
Health and Education will pilot interventions related to GBV and adolescent sexual and reproductive health services. It will also include school-led initiatives aimed at combating early marriage and pregnancy and promoting girls’ education.
Economic and Social Empowerment is a component of the project that supports women’s livelihoods through grants and encourages a community-driven, group-based approach.
All associate members have begun fulfilling their contractual obligations and engaging in LWEP processes, procedures, and donor requirements. This engagement is essential for effective project implementation and ensures all parties understand compliance expectations.
According to Abdula Sheriff, LWEP’s project director, the initiative began in 2024 and will conclude in September 2027.
The total budget for the Liberia Women Empowerment Project is US$36.6 million, with US$18.6 million allocated for project implementation and US$18 million designated for grant disbursement to the associate members working alongside Plan Liberia International.
Mr. Sheriff emphasized that the project will be implemented across six counties: Montserrado, Bomi, Gbarpolu, Cape Mount, River Cess, and Grand Gedeh.
He stated that the project will target 200 beneficiaries, and 36 citizens from across the six counties will benefit from the livelihoods component.
