Context

In Southeastern Liberia, rural farming women are among the most marginalized members of the population with limited access to resources, such as agriculture inputs, credit, training, as well as inadequate access to methods for preserving agricultural outputs, especially cassava. These obstacles are further compounded by gender-based discrimination in social realm including women’s high illiteracy rates and lack of knowledge on rights and protections, situations further exacerbated by Liberia’s long history of civil war.

The Intervention:

In response, UN Women – Liberia is funded an improved cassava processing project in Grand Bassa & Rivercess Counties, which was implemented by VOSIEDA in 2013.  The project aims to enhance the entrepreneurs’ skills and economic independence of 600 rural women and adolescent girls in Grand Bassa and Rivercess Counties through improve cassava production, value chain development and marketing.

The Results:

The project built skills, assets, confidence and organizations of women in Grand Bassa and Rivercess Counties through capacity building training and asset building. If rural women are to create change by overcoming poverty, they must have the opportunity to build assets, knowledge, skills and confidence they need to pursue their own economic agenda better.

Besides, the project has contributed to improving rural women’s access to those basic inputs. Extreme poverty remains a daily reality for rural women in the project areas, the majority of whom depend only on cassava farming  for livelihood, despite the fact they lack skills and resources to process their cassava for the markets. They need basic inputs such as tools and training to diversify their farming systems, re-establish basic livelihoods and improve the availability of healthy food and improved diets at their household and communities’ levels.

Finally, the project enabled rural women in Grand Bassa and Rivercess Counties to assemble and actively be aware of their human rights through the advocacy training. Poverty is not just about a lack of food, water or a roof over the head of rural women in Liberia. Many women are suffering from a lack of power and choice.

Key facts

Sector: Women empowerment. 
Domain: Livelihoods, Gender Equality and incomes generations
Benefiting zone: Liberia
Nature:  Grant
Duration: 2012-2013
Status: Completed