LIBERIA: SIGNS OF HOPE IN LOFA COUNTY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000617

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SUBJECT: LIBERIA: SIGNS OF HOPE IN LOFA COUNTY



1. SUMMARY. On a three-day trip through Lofa County, May 16-18
Poloff and UK representative visited International Rescue Committee
(IRC) projects funded by the USG and the UK Department for
International Development (DFID). After visiting numerous
communities, villages, and towns, it became clear that the residents
of Lofa are committed to rebuilding their lives. Citizens have
returned to farming, are resolving disputes peacefully, and are
building schools for their children. The County Superintendent is
engaged in county development and is open to outside assistance.
Liberian refugees from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast are
returning at the rate of 200-300 per week, often with the assistance
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). END SUMMARY.


2. Lofa, like every other county in Liberia, was heavily affected by
the war and people fled in large numbers across neighboring borders.
With refugee camps closing in June, people from Lofa are returning
in large numbers. Poloff traveled to remote communities in Lofa
County May 16-18 to visit USG and UK government-funded projects. In
conversations with residents and UN representatives, it became clear
that many of those who have already returned or many who are
returning, are originally from Lofa County and they are returning to
their previous villages and communities. Lofa was formerly the
breadbasket of Liberia, producing rice and other staple crops to
help feed the rest of the country. Liberian refugees from other
countries are returning back to farming as a means of livelihood.
Driving through the county, Poloff observed a number of fields being
cleared of trees and brush to make space for farms.


3. The IRC is implementing a multi-year, Department of Labor
(DOL)-sponsored project to combat the worst forms of child labor.
Poloff visited skills training programs in woodwork, soap making,
tie die, and sewing. Boys and girls who enter skills training
programs are allowed to chose from a list of skills; most girls
chose tie die, soap making, and sewing and most boys choose woodwork
or auto mechanics. Poloff observed that many of the girls involved
in the skills training program were teen mothers. Both boys and
girls indicated that they wanted to attend school once they finished
the training programs. The training programs will hopefully give
them skills to support themselves. The World Food Programme (WFP)
food incentive program for female children is working. Poloff
noticed that more than one school had more female students than male
students because WFP gives girls extra food to take home if they
attend school.


4. DFID is funding community development projects through IRC. Each
of the 72 communities sponsored forms a community development
council (CDC) to decide which projects to implement. Poloff found
that many of the communities decided to build community centers or
town halls. Other building projects included latrines and clinics.
The IRC hopes that once the projects are completed the CDCs will
continue to function as a local decision making mechanism. Many
communities are also pooling their own resources to build community
schools.


5. The Superintendent of Lofa County, Glalkpai Kortimai, appears
engaged in the reconstruction and development of the county. He
told Poloff that he has already spoken to various investors and is
looking at ways to revitalize the farming industry and to introduce
cash crops for export. He plans to form farming cooperatives within
the county's districts to manage the 1,000 acres that the central
government has given each county for crop development. He also
indicated a desire to establish microcredit or microfinance programs
in Lofa. He said the Chinese will fix the state-owned radio station
repeater so that Lofa will have access to information even after the
UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) leaves. He commented that the World
Bank road project, which is employing many former combatants, was a
welcome job creation program to keep young men off the streets and
out of trouble.


6. Lofa is not without its problems. Land tenure issues are
problematic and the Superintendent has put a temporary halt to all
sale of public land. Until recently, the sale of private land was
also halted so that mechanisms could be put in place. The plight of
women is slow to improve. Poloff observed that women do much of the
farming and household work and women continue to be exploited,
notwithstanding IRC women's groups who are teaching women about
their rights. The Superintendent complained that international
non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are driving up commodity
prices in Voinjama, the county seat, and he was planning to impose
price ceilings. Child labor continues to exist, but mostly in the
form of field labor. In a largely farming society, children are not
exempt from labor during the planting season. One community
admitted that they send their children to work in the teacher's
field because the teacher is not paid.


7. Comment. Villages in Lofa are largely homogenous ethnic
populations, making dispute resolution and community decision making
easier. The tensions that may exist between Mandingos and other

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ethnic groups in Lofa are not as pronounced as they are in other
counties in Liberia. Most people are not waiting for development
assistance, but are building houses and schools and planting rice or
other crops to sustain themselves. Child labor persists, but the
IRC DOL-sponsored project is meeting its objectives to give children
and families alternatives. The IRC enrollment counselors are
effective at convincing families about the importance of education
over work. The strong spirit of the residents of Lofa to rebuild
their community is a positive force in the recovery of the county.
End Summary.