The girls and women of Liberia face considerable barriers in trying to gain an education or vocation. There is a very high incidence of teenage pregnancy in the country partly due to the custom of early marriage, but also as a consequence of rape, which was used as a weapon of war.

Add to this a policy whereby any girl who becomes pregnant or who has a child is automatically denied access to formal school, and the consequence is a considerable number of girls and young women without access to education at all.

To make these problems worse, the Liberian education system is burdened by a culture of exploitation, sexual discrimination and violence. There are many incidences of male teachers trading grades and school fees for sex with female learners and significantly more girls are out of school than in school. 25% of dropouts among girls are due to early pregnancy.

What we are doing

TEACHER TRAINING

Children in Crisis, working with local partner The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE Liberia) launched a female education programme in February 2008. This project trains teachers in improved teaching methods, whilst also comprising of specialised modules on creating safe girl-friendly learning environments, enabling girls to attend schools free of fear of harassment or discrimination.

The female education programme also works with girls, young women and their communities to support them in continuing their education and raise awareness of its value. One very successful outcome of this support has been the creation of girls’ after school clubs where support with school work is provided as well as a forum to discuss problems or worries the girls may have regarding school.

By 2013 our Female Education programme in rural Liberia will have trained 252 teachers in 36 different schools (24 from River Cess county in years 1 and 2 and 12 from Sinoe county in year 3).

VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE

Completed in September 2009, our Vocational Training Centre (VTC) has become the social and educational heart of Cestos City for many of the town’s women. The centre was established to provide vocational skills and literacy training to the girls and women of Rivercess County, giving them the opportunity to take control of their lives, improve their earning potential and gain some economic independence.

On average, just over 110 women attend the Vocational Training Centre each year where they receive lessons in:

• Reading and writing
• Tailoring
• Pastry making
• Hairdressing
• Food Preservation

An important feature of the VTC is a creche which provides a stimulating and engaging environment for children so that childcare does not pose an obstacle to young mothers attending classes .

MORE ON LIBERIA

	Two women whose lives have been transformed by the opportunities at our VTC. Read More>	Children in Crisis are building new schools to replace the current windowless, make-shift schools in Liberia. Read More>