ActionAid in Liberia
ActionAid started working in Liberia during the April war of 1996. After the offices were looted, our staff were forced to flee, returning in 1997. In 2002, we had to concentrate around urban and suburban areas as rural areas were no longer safe.
We began working with a food security project, to restore people's livelihoods after the war. We distributed seed and tools, worked on the development of farm families, and helped women to find ways of making an income.
ActionAid Liberia is working to help people recover from the war. Key focuses are gender; HIV; governance at all levels; youth and education; and emergencies.
Our youth social and economic reintegration programme enables former child soldiers to gain basic skills and tools they can use to make a living: basic skills in carpentry, masonry, agriculture, vegetable production or animal husbandry.
Essential Stats
| Liberia | Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4.13 million (2009) | 21.5 million (2009) |
| Area | 111,369 km2 | 7,703,581 km2 |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $1.09 billion (2009) | $970.6 billion (2009) |
| GDP per capita | $262 (2009) | $44,598 (2009) |
| Human Development Index | 0.364 (2006) | 0.965 (2006) |
| Life expectancy (male/female) | 45/47 (2005-2010) | 79/84 (2005-2010) |
| Adult literacy (%) | 54.4 (1995-2005) |
99 (1995-2005) |
Sources: IMF, UN data, Human Development Index, UN statistics
