Pioneering work in Liberia

In May 2006, medica mondiale started a large-scale project in the underdeveloped South East of Liberia. Projects in the River Gee, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh districts are aimed at supporting traumatised women and girls come to overcome their war experiences, develop prospects, and make a new start in life.

Fishtown women's centre

In Fishtown, the provincial capital of the River Gee district, medica mondiale is building a women's centre together with local staff. This centre will offer women in this region qualified psychosocial counselling. Women at risk will be given a safe room. The centre will serve as a meeting place and culture centre for local women's groups and activists from all districts in southeast Liberia. In addition, it will offer skills training and income generating activities in order to promote the women’s economic independence. At the request of women from Fishtown, who have been integrated into the project planning since the very beginning, skills training will include carpentry and car mechanics.

Capacity building for local NGOs and institutions

One project component is the training and qualification of local NGOs, women’s groups and institutions by the local staff trained by medica mondiale. Capacity building is being carried out in the River Gee, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh districts. Health care providers, police, and development workers are being trained to professionally deal with survivors of sexual gender based violence. Our goal is to improve the skills of people and groups who work with traumatised women and girls. In this connection, medica mondiale is particularly pursuing the goal of establishing formal documentation of cases of sexual violence in communities and institutions.

Educational and prevention work in the villages

In order to reach a large part of the population in southeast Liberia and include them in the project, local staff of medica mondiale visit villages in the project area on a regular basis. Direct support for women and girls is combined with prevention and education work social in order to increase people's awareness on issues such as sexual violence against women, human rights, and women's rights in order to support survivors of sexualised violence and to prevent future violence against women.

Advocacy work in Monrovia

Besides the educational work, medica mondiale is also working on the national political level in order to achieve the broadest possible effect. Political issues of importance to women are being followed in Monrovia, the Liberian capital. medica mondiale is working together with various players and working groups to exert influence on national strategies, guidelines and legislation that affect the situation of Liberian women. With a view to including wartime sexual violence in the beginning proceedings, medica mondiale aims to consult with the „Truth and Reconciliation Commission“in Monrovia, whose goal is to investigate and prosecute human rights violations during the war.

In addition, medica mondiale is preparing a detailed documentation on violence against women, case reports, and analyses to make public the precarious situation of women in Liberia. Sexualised wartime violence against women must be publicly denounced and punished in order to protect women and girls in post-war Liberian society from further sexual violence and exploitation.