Rebuilding livelihoods in Liberia

The people of Liberia suffered greatly during the civil war that ended in 2003. Trócaire partner IRDO - Integrated Rural Development Organisation works to support people rebuilding their lives in remote communities.

Kpotolomah Village in Bong County is 16 kilometres off the closest highway. Access is very difficult and can only be gained by travelling over extremely rough dirt tracks. Local transport charges are expensive and the bad roads make it difficult for communities to transport their goods to market.

Isaac Singbah was elected head of a community of sixty homes in Kpotolomah. "IRDO has been with us throughout the bad times and is helping us now in better times," he said. "We are busy planting rice at the moment and every household in the community is involved."

The rainy season, which has just begun, continues for six months in Liberia and the road to the highway will become impassable.

Trócaire is supporting IRDO to provide the communities with the tools necessary to repair the road. "When we get communities working together," Sam Mentee of IRDO told Trócaire, " they help each other and it forges bonds.” Not only will this road provide access to the markets but it also greatly contributes to building peace in these parts," he continued.

Each family in the village has been provided with 40 kgs of rice for planting. "By the time the rice is due to be harvested we should have most of the work on the road completed and it will be easier to get the surplus to the market," Isaac explained. Trócaire with IRDO will continue to provide support for 1,160 people in this region in terms of planting, harvesting and marketing their crops.