HELP LIBERIA FOUNDATION

Protecting Liberia's Future

Posted by Help Liberia Foundation on April 15, 2004

The children of Liberia continue to suffer the brunt of the aftereffects of different horrible situations, unleashed on them by individuals who see violence as the only means to settle scores and to gain political power. The fourteen-year civil war has worsened the plight of the Liberian children.

When adults promote wars or violence, it is usually the innocent children that suffer the most, even long after those adults are dead. The sad thing is that those who cause the suffering usually do nothing to ameliorate the condition of the children. Below are some of the problems that individuals and institutions of good will must begin looking at.

Street Children

The Liberian Civil War has produced hundreds of street children across the country. Most of the children are on the streets because of the economic hardship their families are faced with. They get in the streets to find food and anything else that will help them survive. Some are on the streets because their parents were killed during the civil war. Still, others are on the streets because their homes were burnt down during the war.

Most of these children are likely to eat from dumpsites. While some of them sleep in marketplaces, others are exposed to drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse, etc. Their health is unprotected; their lives are unsafe, and their future is insecure. But there is another problem that this situation poses. Society is also threatened by the rippling effect of this situation, in that some of these children may be inclined to committing criminal activities such as theft, robbery, violence, etc.

Teen-age Prostitution

Teen-age prostitution is another social problem facing the Liberian society. This, too, is a result of the economic hardship hunting the country. Unemployment figure stands at 70%. Most young girls whose unemployed parents don’t have money to send them to school, who have no life-sustaining activities with which they can keep their lives busy, who are tired of going without food for days and who don’t have decent clothes to put on their bodies, turn to prostitution as the way out for them.

This situation is also contributing to the spread of the AIDS virus and other sexually transmitted diseases among the population. Most of the girls who are involved in teen-age prostitution admit that it is not a productive activity at all, but they do it for survival. Indeed, it is a sad situation.

Teen-age Pregnancy

Not only is the Liberian society plagued by the problems of street children and teen-age prostitution, but also by teen-age pregnancy. It was revealed in a report released by the United Nations in 2001, that Liberia is among the countries that have the highest teen-age pregnancy rates in the world. This problem is also a result of the generally unfavorable condition of the country, as well as ignorance on the part of the girls who are involved.

In a country where illiteracy rate is estimated to be 80%, most young girls are not conscious of the fact that they should not have children if they are not prepared psychologically, economically, etc. This is why the circle of poverty continues to hunt such people, and, by extension, the society in which they live. These young girls have neither background nor future, as they were born in poverty. And, as they choose to have children while they are in such condition, the children they have will suffer the same way. What do we expect to see when an unskilled and unemployed teenager who comes from a destitute family decides to have babies?

What Could Be Done

The problems faced by the Liberian children are solvable, but it must be stressed that there is not a one-way approach to solving the problems. We must explore various avenues that are suitable for improving the children’s condition. Here are a few alternatives to consider:

1. Both private and public institutions, as well as individuals, could improve the children’s condition by helping to give them their basic education. This could be done through the construction of tuition-free schools, the provision of scholarships or sponsorship for these children, etc.
2. Both private and public institutions, as well as individuals, could establish vocational institutions where these children could have the opportunity to learn life skills; thereby, keeping them busy with something positive.
3. Both private and public institutions, as well as individuals, could establish a children recreational center, which could help keep the children busy with something beneficial, whether educationally, socially, psychologically or spiritually.
4. A well-planned and comprehensive program, which takes into account different activities such as sports, music training, art training, drama practice, etc. could be developed in order to get the children off the streets, while at the same time teaching them something good.

If it is true that children are the future of any society, then the future of the Liberian society is oblique, except something is done to reverse the appalling situation of the children. The problems the Liberian children are faced with are created by the society, and the society must be in the position to devise ways that will help to solve the problems and ameliorate the children’s condition.

We appeal to all individuals and institutions of good will to come to the aid of the suffering children of Liberia.