When the Forest Reform law was passed in 2006, Liberia’s 51 community forests were offered a chance to conserve or commercialize their forests in logging and other deals with companies. 
44 chose the money. But conservation groups persuaded seven to pursue conservation – protecting their forest resources and promoting biodiversity. 
It’s not been an easy road. Varney Dukuly visited the Grand Bassa forest of Barconnie and Harmonville for Okay FM and found a community struggling to make ends meet. This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of its Environment Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the American Jewish World Service. The funders had no say in the story's content.

Barconnie and Harmonville Community Forest Struggles with Conservation

When he took office in 2018 President George Weah promised his government would lift one million Liberians out of poverty by the end of his six year term. Half Liberia’s five million people live below in the poverty line.

In January the Weah government declared a victory that surprised many people: it claimed to have reduced poverty by eight percentage points. That would be about two hundred thousand people.

But as Fatu Kamara reports for Okay FM, the government is now backing away from that claim. In fact, the World Bank says poverty has increased to levels not seen in a decade. Eight out of every ten Liberians is now just worried about getting enough food. 

Funding for this reporting was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia. The funder had no say in the story's content.

Weah Government Claims Drop in Poverty but World Bank Says it's Highest in a Decade

Drug addiction is on the rise across the country and Bong County has not been spared. But as Joseph Titus Yekeryan reports in this collaboration with Voice of Bong, a rehabilitation program is having some success supporting drug-addicted youth in their journey towards recovery.

An underfunded rehabilitation clinic tries to help Bong's growing number of drug users break free

Malaria has long been a terrifying scourge, killing people across the continent. Heartbreakingly, children under five are most vulnerable. 
Despite major efforts by global health authorities malaria has remained rampant across Africa.  A child dies from the illness every minute,.
But a major new breakthrough in the form of a vaccine has finally arrived on Liberia’s shores. In this collaboration with OkayFM, Joseph Daniels has been finding out more.

New Malaria Vaccine Arrives in Liberia With Great Hopes of Curbing Deaths

At his inauguration in January this year President Joseph Boakai became the latest Liberian leader to announce bold new initiatives to end corruption at the start of his administration.

But Liberians have seen decades of endemic corruption, with few attempts to hold accused officials accountable. So most took a wait and see approach at this latest effort. 

As Spoon FM’s Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon reports, the scandal at Boakai’s new Assets Recovery Task Force, barely two months after its formation, is undermining public trust and transparency activists are calling for a reset.

With Boakai’s Assets Recovery Team Under a Cloud Activists Call for a Reset in Corruption Fight

A recently released survey has confirmed what child welfare advocates have long feared: The rising number of Liberians living in poverty has led to a huge number of children living on the streets.

There were more than three hundred and sixty six thousand children living on their own in 2022. Sadly, experts say, with so few ways to make money a large number of these children resort to sex work. 
As Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon reports in this collaboration with OkFM, government has launched a project designed to tackle the problem but experts worry it will not be nearly enough.

"Living in Hell" Experts Alarmed at Dramatic Increase in Street Children and Child Sex Workers

Education has long been a distant hope for most young people in Liberia’s rural areas. While urban students find a way forward, rural students often find there is no school for them after the 6th or 9th grade.

In this collaboration with New Narratives, reporter Siaway T. Miapue travels to Arthington in Montserrado County to meet a young woman who once dreamed of becoming a journalist but now finds herself trapped in a cycle of poverty. Her story is a window into a Liberia’s ongoing rural education crisis that threatens to lock another generation of rural Liberians out of opportunities.

Crisis in Rural Education Continues to End Student Dreams

COUNTRIES ACROSS AFRICA ARE CLOSELY MONITORING CASES OF AN OUTBREAK OF MPOX DISEASE. THE DISEASE HAS LONG SICKENED PEOPLE IN WEST AFRICA BUT IT HAS BEEN FAIRLY MILD WITH JUST ONE IN ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE DYING AFTER INFECTION.

THAT HAS CHANGED IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO WHERE MORE THAN THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SICKENED AND MORE THAN A THOUSAND HAVE DIED. 
THE NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE OF LIBERIA SAYS AT LEAST 17 CASES OF THE MPOX VIRUS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED IN LIBERIA BUT FOR NOW, THE DEADLY NEW STRAIN IS NOT PRESENT. 

IN THIS COLLABORATION WITH Lux FM  GLORIA WLEH VISITS Yeala Town in LOFA COUNTY TO MEET A TWO-YEAR-OLD SURVIVOR AND HIS MOTHER.

Liberia Prepares for Deadly Strain of Mpox

This year’s COP 29 meeting of global nations to tackle climate change delivered mixed news for Liberia. Poor countries were only successful in securing three hundred billion of the $1.3 trillion dollars they wanted from rich countries each year to support climate adaptation.
 
But the conference did approve a motion that will pave the way for a UN-backed global carbon market.
 
Few countries stand to benefit more than Liberia. Our 6-point-6 million hectares of forest make us well placed to benefit from carbon credit trading.
 
The government is creating a framework to guide this process. But as Joseph Daniels and Khushali Haji found in this collaboration with Okay FM the plans are sparking concern among forest-dependent communities.

Forest Communities Angered by Exclusion from Carbon Credit Negotiations

As Liberia embarks on the process to establish a war and economic crimes court, New Narratives is facilitating panels on the court process with leading local and national experts on radio stations all fifteen counties.

Three panelists appeared on a special panel on Smile FM in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County. They were: Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe, a human rights expert, Mr. Maxwell Bondo, a war crimes investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project and Mr. Anthony Stephens/assistant editor/senior justice correspondent at New Narratives. Panels are funded by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia.

NN & Smile FM in Zwedru host special panel on War Crimes Court with national & local experts

Since the end of the civil conflicts in 2003 there has been no comprehensive assessment of the state of Liberians mental health. But experts say there is no doubt that at least a million of us are suffering. 
And as Liberia begins the process to hold accused perpetrators to account in a war crimes court, experts warn that trauma is going to be triggered for many people. They’re calling for mental health services to be stepped up across the country.
In this collaboration with Lux FM, Gloria Wleh visits Grand Cape Mount County, to find participants in counseling sessions who are finding relief and rebuilding their lives.


Aftermath of Liberia’s Civil Wars: Mental Illness, Hidden Crisis That Needs More Resources

In Liberia’s remote northern counties, accessing basic healthcare can mean walking miles, only to find that the medicine you need isn’t there.
But in Lofa County, one young nurse is pushing against the odds. With no formal support, he’s building something rare: a self-funded health service that’s quietly reshaping lives in communities left behind and showing other young rural entrepreneurs a path forward. In this collaboration with Alternate Youth Radio, James Kwabo Junior reports.

In Rural Liberia, One Nurse Builds a Health Movement From the Ground Up

The devastation of the civil wars and Ebola were impossible to ignore but another emergency is now tearing through our communities more quietly: a drug epidemic. 
Experts say as many as one in every five young people are now addicted to narcotics. The government has declared it a national emergency, but, for many young people on the streets, that declaration feels empty.
In this collaboration with Spoon FM Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon finds unregulated rehab centers are filling the gap.

“We’re Failing a Generation," Experts Say Drug War Lacks Urgency as Generation Slips Through Cracks

The number one thing that we want tell your on this program say Liberia na wining to get in the chair on that big body they call UN Security Council and President Boakai and everybody happy for that

The number one Liberian woman where no about peace business that they call Leymah Gbowee say she want the Boakai government to first open they economic crimes court before the war crimes court. 

The way America say they na giving free, free money again, the people them in the interior and the health worker them worrying whole. They say plenty baby ma and pregnant women them will die because they wos getting free treatment from the American people. 

The people them where giving us the money to bring this program to your, da the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service.  

Your can see the other work them we na do on our website www.newnarratives.org




Liberia na feni geting in the chair on that big body they call UN Security Council and President Boakai and everybody happy for that



The govenmen feni stoping the ID Card business that was casuing problem.

In the interior, the people them going to the forest to cut down the tree them to fix charcoal. 

Then, the hunter them where they train to stop hunting fini going back in the bush to go catch the animal them they as mining. 

The people them where giving us the money to bring this program to your, da the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service.  

Your can see the other work them we na do on our website www.newnarratives.org





The govenmen feni stoping the ID Card business that was casuing problem.

As Liberia's push for accountability for past crimes continues, we have continued to coordinate panels for leading transitional justice experts. 

Four experts---Tiawan Gongloe, Liberian human rights lawyer, Hassan Bility, director of Global Justice and Research Project, Adama Dempster, national secretary general of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia and Anthony Stephens, a lawyer and assistant editor/senior justice correspondent of New Narratives, appeared on Classic FM in Kakata, Margibi County.

The advocates called for the war and economic crimes court to be set up before the national anti-corruption court.

Leading Justice Advocates Want War and Economic Court Given Priority Over Anti-Corruption Court

As Liberia's push for accountability for past crimes continues, we have continued to coordinate panels for leading transitional justice experts. 

Four leading experts---Tiawan Gongloe a veteran Liberian human rights lawyer, Hassan Bility, director of Global Justice and Research Project, Adama Dempster, national secretary general of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia and Anthony Stephens, a lawyer and assistant editor/senior justice correspondent of New Narratives, appeared on Okay FM in Montserrado County.

The advocates called for the war and economic crimes court to be set up before the national anti-corruption court.

Leading Justice Advocates Push for War and Economic Crimes Court Establishment as a Priority

The thing wea we coming tell your on this program here, president bocka feni giving the war crimes court office two milon American money.

The way the country where the call Rwanda, the celebrate 31 years since that thing where the call genocide happen, da wetin our country Liberia can learn from them when it come to forgiving one another?

Then, the final thing where we want say, the people then whre was to that place they call EPA during George Weah time, they was get plenty people there where was get position where they not able to do the work.

President Boaca govrman feni given two million to the war crime cour office

money them from coming to Libera, the local NGO them, they na start puten their staf them down. They na cut lor many, many program them they wos runing.

The people where can manage money, the say the way America fini cutting monei from coming to Libera, plety people them will na get job.

And, the way America stop free moni from coming to Libera, pleny people them wory abou the whole war crime cout then busni.



The way Amrrica fini stopin free money them from coming to Libera, the local NGO them, they na start puten their staf them down


As Liberia’s drug crisis deepens, desperate families are draining their savings to pay for rehabilitation centers that experts say are unregulated, often abusive, and have almost zero chance of working.
Mothers tell stories of heartbreak — selling what little they have, only to watch their children relapse. 
In response to the public outcry of recent months President Boakai’s government has pledged to open rehab centers in coming months but in this collaboration with New Narratives, experts tell Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon say there’s a long way to go. 


As Drug Crisis Grows Medical Experts Demand Amateur Rehabilitation Centers Be Shut Down As Desperate Families Drain Savings on Treatment That Fails to Deliver

We coordinated a radio panel on the Voice of Gbarpolu, 102.3 FM, where panelists emphasized that the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court should take precedence over a proposed National Anti-Corruption Court.

They also underscored the crucial role of an independent media in reporting on the courts and advancing Liberia’s broader transitional justice process.

The panel featured Sando Boakai, Deputy Director for Operations at the Global Justice and Research Project, and Seidu Swaray, Executive Director of the Liberia Association of Psychosocial Services. Anthony Stephens, Assistant Editor and Senior Justice Correspondent of New Narratives, also discussed the importance of press freedom in covering justice-related issues and why New Narratives supports independent journalism in Liberia.



Experts Want Liberia's War Crimes Court Prioritized; Stress Independent Media is Critical to the Court's Process

Experts say it’s likely millions of people struggle with poor vision in Liberia. From classrooms to hospital wards to the nation’s vehicles, poor eyesight is quietly stealing opportunities and putting lives at risk.
As Fatu Kamara found in this collaboration between Okay FM and New Narratives, this silent crisis is impacting people across the country with little hope it sight.

Millions of Liberians Who Need Glasses Can't Afford Them Risking Lives and Livelihoods

A new global report ranks Liberia among the top ten countries where people experience the most sadness and worry. Experts say women make up most of the number. 

As reporter Tetee Gebro tells us in this collaboration with Okay FM, women are carrying the heaviest burden caught between survival and stress in a country still healing from war with serious consequences for their health and the nation’s security.

Survey Finds Liberians Among World’s Biggest Worriers Fueling Chronic Disease

Education experts say the termination of a USAID program, that funded scholarships to aspiring teachers could undermine government efforts to recruit qualified staff for public schools.
Advocates urged government to support students affected by the program’s closure, to complete their education and help address the country’s teacher shortage.  
As Garmai  Tarnue reports for Radio Gbarnga in  collaboration with New Narratives, dozens of beneficiaries on the scholarship in Cuttington University are facing difficult choices.

Experts Warn of Grave Impact for Students as USAID- Funded Teacher Training Program

Medical Experts are raising a warning saying more and more people are staying sick because the medicines meant to kill harmful germs that cause malaria, diarrhea and other dangerous illnesses —aren’t working anymore. 
The reason? Many Liberians are using antibiotics and other powerful drugs the wrong way, and that misuse is making these medicines weaker and less able to fight infections.
In this collaboration with Lux FM, Gloria Wleh finds thousands of Liberians are dying as a result and many more are no longer able to get treatment.

Antimicrobial resistance in Liberia: Simple Illnesses That Are Defying Treatment

Liberia is debating a bill that would allow abortion up to 14 weeks—a change experts say could put the country among the most liberal in sub-Saharan Africa.
The House of Representatives approved the bill in 2022, but it’s stalled in the Senate.
As Joyclyn Wea finds in this collaboration with New Narratives, the delay has left many women turning to unsafe and unregulated abortions, which sometimes lead to deadly consequences


As Bill to Expand Abortion Access Stalls, Abortion Pills Are Quietly Save

As Liberia marks the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, mothers and survivors are raising alarm over a system they say is extorting victims instead of protecting them.

Rape survivors—including infants—are reportedly being denied help unless families pay unofficial fees. Mothers describe carrying bleeding children to hospitals and courts, only to be told to “bring money,” with clerks and even public defenders allegedly demanding five to ten U.S. dollars before cases proceed.

Tetee Gebro reports that these claims come as sexual violence rises nationwide, spotlighting corruption and neglect in Liberia’s rape-response system.

“Bring Money First”: Inside Liberia’s Rape Justice System Where Children Are Turned Away

Plenty powerful peopo them come together to find soluton to they probem they call climate change 

The big, big, human rights people them say they talkin to the lawmaker them na to okay da law to make people them not to  go to court where do bad, bad, thin them doing the way with Liberian law.  

One big book say woman them can wory pas men them. Libiria woman them on da list.

Plenty people them na get money to buy eyeglass in Libera.

Plenty powerful peopo them come together to find soluton to they probem they call climate change

Liberia has invested millions of dollars to confront a growing drug addiction crisis, expanding treatment centers and shifting away from a purely law-enforcement response. 
But for many people who survive rehabilitation, the most difficult part comes after they leave.

In this collaboration with Spoon FM, Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon tells us, recovery doesn’t end at detox. For many Liberians, it’s only the beginning.


Liberia: They Survived Addiction. Now Comes the Hardest Part: Going Home

We facilitated a panel discussion on Super Bongese, a leading radio station in Bong County, focusing on the importance of an independent media in Liberia’s push to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court and a National Anti-Corruption Court.

The discussion focused on many issues, including the role of the media in the accountability process and highlighted how New Narratives is equipping local journalists to report independently and responsibly on the process, while also countering misinformation and disinformation.

The panelists were Maxwell Bondo, senior investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project, and Anthony Stephens, assistant editor and senior justice correspondent at New Narratives.




Experts Counter Mis/Disinformation About Liberia's War and Economic Crimes Court, Stresses Importance of Impartial Media

We facilitated a panel on Alternative Youth Radio, a widely listened-to radio station in Lofa County.

The program focused on the importance of establishing a hybrid court, why a War and Economic Crimes Court should be prioritized over a National Anti-Corruption Court, who could potentially be tried, and how the media can counter misinformation and disinformation while maintaining independent, professional reporting throughout the process among others.

The panelists were Tiawan Gongloe, a veteran Liberian human rights lawyer; Maxwell Bondo, a senior investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project; and Anthony Stephens, a lawyer and assistant editor/senior justice correspondent at New Narratives.


Advocates Stresses Why War and Economic Crimes Court Should be Prioritized Over Corruption Court

We facilitated a panel discussion on Radio Sletorwah, a widely listened-to station in Nimba County, spotlighting the role of a hybrid court in Liberia’s accountability process.

The discussion explored why a War and Economic Crimes Court should take priority over a National Anti-Corruption Court, who could be prosecuted, and how the media can counter misinformation and disinformation while reporting independently on the process. The discussion also looked at the role of New Narratives in the process of training Liberian journalists for the courts.

Panelists included Maxwell Bondo, a senior investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project; and Anthony Stephens and a lawyer and assistant editor/senior justice correspondent at New Narratives.

Experts Say Liberia’s War Crimes Court Should Be a Top Priority — and Urge Media to Counter Mis and Disinformation

We facilitated a panel on Radio Gbarnga, an award-winning community radio station.  The discussion focused on the critical role of an independent media in Liberia’s accountability process, the importance of adopting a hybrid court model for war and economic crimes, and the need to protect witnesses and victims. 

Panelists also examined how journalists can help counter misinformation and disinformation while reporting accurately, responsibly and independently on the justice process.

The panelists were Maxwell Bondo, senior investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project, and Anthony Stephens, assistant editor, a lawyer and senior justice correspondent at New Narratives.

On Radio Kintoma: Why Liberia’s Hybrid Court Matters — and How the Media Fits In

We facilitated a panel discussion on Radio Kintoma, a leading radio station in Lofa County, on the role of an independent media in Liberia’s efforts to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court and a National Anti-Corruption Court.

The discussion underscored the media’s responsibility in promoting accountability and examined how New Narratives is supporting local journalists to report independently and responsibly on the process while countering misinformation.

The panelists were Maxwell Bondo, senior investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project, and Anthony Stephens, assistant editor and senior justice correspondent at New Narratives.



Experts Discuss Liberia’s Hybrid Court Proposal and the Media’s Responsibility

We facilitated a radio panel discussion on Voice of Nimba, a widely listened-to radio station in Liberia’s populous Nimba County.

The panelists, including Anthony Stephens, assistant editor and senior justice correspondent at New Narratives, emphasized the importance of the media’s impartial role in the process of establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court and a National Anti-Corruption Court. Mr. Stephens, who is also a lawyer, discussed New Narratives’ role in supporting and funding independent journalism.

Maxwell Bondo, senior investigator at the Global Justice and Research Project, was the other panelist on the program. He explained why a War and Economic Crimes Court should be prioritized over a National Anti-Corruption Court, why the court should adopt a hybrid model, and addressed issues related to the court’s location, security, and other operational considerations.


Experts Urge Media Impartiality as Debate Intensifies Over Prioritizing a War and Economic Crimes Court

By Jefferson Massah of Radio Gbarnga for Thomson Reuters/new Narratives

Chevron Corporate Responsibility Projects in Liberia

It was July 29, 1990 when news and picture from the Lutheran Church Massacre shocked the world. About 600 people died. But like most of the crimes committed in Liberia during the years of war no one has ever faced justice here in Liberia. In the United States four survivors of the Lutheran Church massacre has filed a lawsuit against a man name Moses Thomas, believed to be commander of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Reporter Tecee Boley has the story.

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