Some of the challenges discussed included: Credibility or neutrality of NEC is being questioned by some political parties; Inadequate funding and logistics for conduct of elections; the Security environment; still poor road network in the country; impact of the ongoing post-election conflict in neighboring Cote d’Ivoire; More training needed for media personnel; lack of proper dissemination of information; and lack of respect for the rule of law in certain quarters.

Deliberating on the way forward in face of the challenges, participants at the meet up proposed as follows:
- Constitution should be fully adhered to;
- Increase incentive for security personnel
- Improve on road condition to make transport of election materials possible and timely;
- NEC and authorities should do all to ensure that elections are credible enough
- Address the critical issues of transportation and logistics;
- Improve efficient information delivery around elections;
- All parties should ensure that the conflict in Cote d’Ivoire is solved.

We are very pleased to announce that our community Q&A site, InfoSpring, has a new home at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.   The Earth Institute and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) are the hub for the innovative Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) program, a practice-orientated development degree supported by the MacArthur Foundation.    With its interdisciplinary focus and global network of institutions, faculty and students at 22 universities around the world, the MDP program will be able to expand and enrich the InfoSpring community.    Read about it here: Forum Final Newsletter

This devprac.org site will continue to post blogs from development practitioners who are committed to the principles of peer-to-peer learning and more efficient knowledge exchange on the front lines.  You’ll find posts from practitioner meetups across rural Liberia on the Liberia Network page.  A second practitioner network is taking shape in Kenya, and preliminary reports from the team who are leading it appear on the Kenya Network page.

Women activists from around the world gathered in New York and Washington, DC to celebrate and show case the gains made by civil society on Resolution 1325 and create more awareness on its full implementation. They shared challenges and lessons learned from their countries and suggested strategies for improvement in the implementation. Themes discussed at the workshops and panel discussions included but were not limited to female police peacekeepers and their role and impact in peace operations; women’s involvement in reconciliation and healing processes in post conflict societies; the obstacles to human security posed by the militarized security system that perpetuates global patriarchy and the potential of feminist security perspectives to overcome them.

A Peace Fair organized by the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders contained cyber dialogues which were the highlight of the New York portion of my visit. Two cyber dialogues – real time web conferences between global policy makers and women peace activists from Iraq, Liberia, Nepal and Sierra Leone and other conflict affected countries – were held. The cyber dialogues generated practical recommendations for implementing 1325 at the country level. Policy makers should see the 10^th anniversary as a reflection period and make crucial decisions to increase the number of women at the peace table and recognize the specific impact of armed conflict on women. These recommendations should be included on the international peace and security agenda.

The open debate on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, for me, was not actually a debate but more of a briefing as over ninety (90) speakers, including Liberia, briefed the Security Council on UNSCR1325 implementation in their respective countries. As I attended these events in both New York and Washington DC, I asked myself, how can I help to liberianize the resolution? One approach would be connecting women to the peace and security activities currently going on in their communities. For example they should be contributing at the same level as men in negotiating everyday post-conflict issues such as land disputes, the use of natural resources and post-conflict violence against women including domestic violence and rape which is on the increase. In additional, we Liberians should be working to recognize the impressive contributions women have been making to their country and develop a plan to increase the number of women in government.

I also feel that women’s economic empowerment should be placed on the peace and security agenda. Can we achieve peace when over 76% of the Liberian population lives below the poverty line of $1 a day and, more dramatically, 52% live in extreme poverty with under US$0.50 a day? It is estimated that the majority of those living in extreme poverty are women.  Peace does not only mean the cessation of armed conflict  and holding elections, it also means the opportunity to access resources, services and finances and equal opportunity to reach decision making positions at every level.

I am looking forward to increased awareness on the Resolution and empowering women to act on the awareness at the community level. The main question for me is: What next?  At the New York and Washington meetings we all concluded that 1325 still needs a lot of work, and that the UN and member states have not done enough to implement the Resolution in its first 10 years. The 10th anniversary is a crucial moment, and we need to do all we can to prevent another 10 years of stagnation.  Women’s civil society organizations in Liberia are ready to work, but they have been unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary resources. There is a desperate need for bi-literal donors, UN Agencies and international NGOs to invest more resources for women led CSOs to fully implement UNSCR1325. Women have energy, are committed and have the practical experience to make the changes we need to sustain peace in Liberia. Please support their efforts! I salute IREX for giving me the opportunity to participate in the 10^th Anniversary celebration of 1325 and I look forward to being a part of the change I want to see.

This was the topic of discussion when seven development practitioners met on October 15 in Monrovia. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss setting up a task force to respond to emergency calls from victims of sexual and gender based violence. But it was dominated by a look at how Liberians returning home in this post conflict era relate to other Liberians – those who stayed and lived through several stages of the civil war.

One international expert staff from South Africa working in Liberia said this is a common problem that happens when some people go into exile or leave the country during a war or conflict and return after the danger has passed. They come back more highly educated, with a lot of western exposure, and for some a very superior attitude. They are bitterly resented by the people who stayed and endured suffering, some of whom put their lives on the line fighting for freedom or for an end to the danger/oppression/war.

The returnees are often the ones who walk straight into high paying jobs in the government and the others feel cheated and excluded.  The participants agreed and stated several examples of Liberians who have returned and now work in government, earning high salaries as compared to Liberians who stayed home and are performing similar tasks, but are paid relatively low salaries. The women feel that those returning are form the elite and some really look down on the ones that remained as being backward or so traumatized that they cannot perform well. The ones that stayed can also become arrogant, claiming that they suffered alone during the war/conflict. In their view, the returnees had it easy and cannot ever understand what it means to live through such a conflict.

All the participants at the meeting agreed that this topic is highly controversial and there is no easy answer to this problem. They agreed that the returnees   are mostly better educated and not so traumatized if at all. However, the people who remained have an experience of what happened that those coming in do not have, and that has to be valued as well. What has to happen is that a dialogue needs to be opened where the two can talk about how it was for them to stay or leave, so that some understanding can develop.  There needs to an understanding that those who left (now the returnees) went through their own suffering, having to reorient themselves away from everything that was familiar and comfortable,  and it may not have been easy for everyone who left. Some really suffered in refugee camps, away from families, lost families etc. So suffering was on both sides and this has to be understood by both sides. Both sides need to talk to acknowledge that they all have a role to play in rebuilding the country and some roles are better played by the ones who left, while others are best performed by the ones who stayed. It requires that both sides are facilitated to move beyond the us vs. them mentality and look at themselves as Liberians who had different experiences, but who are all here now for one reason – to contribute to a better Liberia and to move away from the past to a brighter future for their children and grandchildren.

Most of the participants rather asked so many questions they need to answer in order to help them understand the true meaning of gender. One participant made a funny remark”is gender meaning to put women on board or put women on top?”- he also said that at Development Education Network Liberia (DEN-L), all women manage the gender program and no male staff. Is this suggesting that only women can do gender work or gender means women? We agreed that there is need to create more awareness on gender and the true intent and spirit taking into account the diverse Liberian culture.

One female participant emphasized the need to explain the negative connotation of this new concept. The issues of gender are about people power and it breathes conflict at the family and community levels. She said that the concept of gender has increased domestic violence in Liberia and when I asked her to be specific, she said that a woman came from a gender workshop and when her husband asked her to take his bath water in the bathroom, she said no, I just learnt over the past five days that I have rights and I think you should take the water yourself and it led to a fight. All the participants agreed or recommended the following: rethink our gender strategy, bring more men on board and educate them on the concept of gender.

The meetup in Monrovia on Barnes Beach discussed the topic “The challenges facing waste management in Monrovia”.

More than a decade of civil conflict resulted in the destruction of basic infrastructure including waste management services. The population in Monrovia has also quadruple and crowding is now a contributing factor to the generation of waste.

In the absence of a proper waste collection and disposal systems, solid waste is currently disposed of in sensitive ecological zones such as wetlands. There is also a frequent build-up and open burning of waste in Monrovia. The Monrovia City Corporation has declared the first Saturday of each month as general cleaning up day but the garbage continue to pile up in the streets. The officially designated waste disposal site currently is Wein Town, a residential area about 10 kilometers from the city center. Participants observed that the space available for the waste disposal is increasingly limited.

The disposal of hospital waste poses a special challenge for Monrovia. Some of the established health centers in Monrovia include St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital, John F. Kennedy Medical Center and the Redemption Hospital.

Participants recommended that the Monrovia City Corporation revisits its waste management system to ensure that major stakeholders are involved in the decision-making. The participants also recommended the levy of penalties on violators of the city ordinances and that such penalties be enforced to the letter.

Liberia’s plant and animal life is greatly diverse, with high rates of biodiversity and high populations of species that are nearly extinct in other countries. Much of this rich biodiversity is found in the forests, making them important landscapes to the country.

Secret societies, traditional healers and hunters, traditional norms and taboos and rotational farming were identified by participants as the major traditional approaches for conservation and use of biodiversity in rural Liberia. This blog outlines how they have been used.

Secret Societies

One of the many traditional institutions for conserving the environment in rural Liberia is the secret society called Poro. This is an all-male institution that aims to impart knowledge on the culture, traditions and customs of the society. Some of the Poro initiates teach the sacredness of the environment and the need for conservation. As a political institution the Poro oversees the observance of rules related to sacred groves and water bodies. In addition, they can place a ban on hunting during certain times of the year to allow for reproduction of the species to go uninterrupted.

Another traditional institution is the Sande, an all-female institution. The Sande’s contribution to conservation, as in the case of the Poro, begins during the period of initiation when new members are given knowledge on flora, fauna and aquatic life. At the end of the initiation period, a number of the graduates go on to become herbalists and traditional healers.

Taboos

Taboos are useful in ensuring that certain faunal and flora species are conserved. There are basically three types of taboos in Liberia. Those observed by individuals within the tribe as a condition resulting from intermarriage; those sanctioned by the community; and those observed by of extended families and clans. Another kind of taboo prohibits fishing in certain bodies of water in which the fish are considered human in fish form. An example of this taboo in a community called Jawo Manalata in Bong County where the citizens in that community do not eat cat fish from the river. Travelers traveling that route from Gbarnga to Ganta stop to take a look at the fish in amazement.

Rotational Farming

Also referred to as shifting cultivation, rotational farming is one of the few and most effective methods of conserving flora and fauna in the rural setting. The farmer abandons the area cultivated and leaves the land to fallow or at least five years. At the end of this period the soil is rich enough for cultivation.

Sacred Groves

The establishment of sacred groves contributes immensely to conservation in rural Liberia. Perceived as abodes of ancestral and evil spirits, cutting of trees or hunting is prohibited in sacred groves. In this way they have become natural breeding ground for fauna and flora.

The book examines the emergence of 17 politically and economically promising African countries. Radelet illuminates the distinction between these “emerging countries” and 1) countries that have experienced uneven progress largely as a result of oil-exportation, and 2) countries that have experienced very little progress overall. Radelet highlights the progress of these 17 countries through a long-term perspective: in 1980 many of them were debt ridden, stagnant dictatorships. By 2000, while far from flawless, these countries began to make important political, fiscal, and judicial reforms. Furthermore, the number of democracies in Africa jumped dramatically from 3 in 1989 to 23 in 2010.

What contributed to this economic and political shift? Radelet explains a number of fundamental changes that have taken place over the last twenty years, and that will continue to sustain progress in the next twenty:

• Increased political accountability
• A push towards economic liberalization
• The end of the debt crisis and more appreciation for country-ownership
• The emergence of a new generation of leaders
• The rise and prevalence of technology

All of these factors are deeply interrelated and create positive reinforcing cycles once they take hold in a country. And – of course – that’s where InfoSpring comes in. It’s built on the foundation of harnessing technology to bring about change and progress. The ability to connect practitioners, create communities, and forge networks across borders and within countries would have been unfathomable in Africa just 10 years ago. However, as internet access and SMS technology continues to reach more and more people, access to information, resources and networks expand. People connect, ideas are shared, progress is made. That’s the goal of InfoSpring!

InfoSpring currently has a strong membership base in Uganda and Tanzania, which Radelet identifies as “emerging countries.” Furthermore, our hubs in Kenya and Liberia, both “threshold countries,” are comprised of some of our most active members.

What Radelet is suggesting is that there is very real promise in a number of African countries. Certainly, challenges remain both within these countries and within the countries experience low growth levels, conflict, or crippling political situations. However by studying and supporting the success of the emerging countries, development practitioners can gain a clearer understanding of how to spread this growth to countries that lag behind. Essentially, success doesn’t have to be limited to this group of countries.

For more information on Emerging Africa: How 17 Countries are Leading the Way, visit the CGD website.

Local school administrators are becoming increasingly worried about the fate of Liberia’s Free and Compulsory Primary Education Policy. The Free and Compulsory Primary Education Policy was instituted by the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Government as a means of achieving progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG 2) which calls for universal Primary Education for all children by 2015. Certainly, the policy is achieving its primary objective which is increased enrollment; for the past three years school enrollment, especially at the primary level, has increased by 50%. Parents also seem to be appreciating the policy since it has reduced the burden of paying school fees; families of low income status can now use their meager resources for uniforms and note books. However, a challenging and troubling indication is the question of quality delivery; this includes adequate physical space for learning to accommodate the growing number of enrolled students and adequately trained instructors who are available to teach on a regular basis. Additionally, school administrators think that parents do not have adequate information on the policy and the actual role they need to play for the overall achievement of the policy goal; the word “Free” has created a stubborn mind in parents to make any efforts with school administrators in addressing these challenges.

The capacity of the government remains limited in providing more buildings and trained instructors. According to local school administrators, government regulations allow for 35 students and 45 students per class for primary and secondary schools respectively, a policy that was supposed to be enforced this year. However, last year’s school statistics showed 75-80 students per class, a number that is expected to increase this year. Furthermore, the capacity of the government to maintain the requisite trained teachers in school remains a dilemma; volunteer teachers who have been trained and deployed to needed campuses are not on salary, and their stipend is irregular. Teachers who have replaced others due to death, resignation or termination have become frustrated by the prolonged delay of regularizing their status as they have to continue to take pay on the name of the person(s) they replaced. This causes intermittent disruptions in classes when the teachers affected strike or abruptly abandon their job.

The following recommendations were made:

1. The “Free and compulsory Primary Education Policy” needs to be comprehensive to respond to the need in quality delivery, and to include opportunities for community partnership in various participatory means in meeting the medium term needs while the government prepares for the longer term challenges. Government needs to include private schools into the program by providing subsidies which will allow x% off school fees for community children in close proximity to these schools who do not have the needed resources to enroll at such schools; this will also help with the issue of quality delivery.

1. Adequate awareness campaigns need to be conducted involving all stakeholders including Parent-Teacher Associations, local school administrators and communities on how the policy works; the word “Free,” must be well defined/interpreted to include practical implication for the goal of the policy.

1. Information on funds allocated to the county in the national budget for education purposes must be accessible by respective Parent-Teacher Associations and local school administrators, who by being aware of the budget capacity will be convinced of the need to contribute to extra resources.