Cape Mount & Bong Counties- Liberia’s flood‑stricken towns: the devastation is visible in collapsed homes, broken walls, and families forced to sleep in rising waters.
By Jaheim T. [email protected]
Yet amid the destruction, survivors are finding fragile hope in the form of cash transfers and clean water projects funded by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In Bong County’s Frog Island, J. Kayto Jallah remembers the night his home was swallowed by floodwaters.
He described sleeping in waist‑deep water, his family huddled together as the house crumbled around them. The ECOWAS cash transfer, though modest, gave him a chance to rebuild.
“My whole house got flooded up. I slept in the water two times. But I thank God that ECOWAS took me from somewhere and put me back up. The money ECOWAS gave me, I brought cement, black zinc, and I fixed my septic tank,” he said, pointing to the repaired structure that now shelters his family.
Widow Kpeneh Kollie, it was an ordeal that nearly cost her son’s life. Caring for nine children and seven grandchildren, she recalled how her sister shoved her and the children out of their collapsing house just in time.
Accordingly, she explained that the ECOWAS cash transfers allowed her to rebuild after the disaster.
“The money I received from ECOWAS helped me build my house again. I didn’t lose my son because of ECOWAS. Let God allow them to continue helping us,” she said, her voice breaking with gratitude and exhaustion.
Ma Kollie’s story reflects the precariousness of life in flood‑prone Rubber Factory Community in Bong County.
She explained how water levels rose to higher heights, motorbikes struggled to pass, and families were trapped inside homes as walls gave way.
For her, the aid was not just financial support but a lifeline that prevented tragedy.
Sundayma Dwah used her cash transfer to expand her used-clothes business. Dwah explained that her initial business started with US$50, but with the ECOWAS cash transfer of USD$ 250, the business has expanded.
“I used the money to expand my used-clothes business,” Dwah explained, stressing that the assistance helps her meet the educational needs of her children.
Communities and residents had also struggled and long relied on unsafe sources of drinking water.
The intervention brought renovations of the hand-pump, transforming daily life.
Henry Taigbailee stood proudly beside the ECOWAS’s renovated hand-pump, describing the clean and safe water for locals.
“The water is clean; we can drink safe drinking water from there. I will say over 150 are benefiting,” he said, stating that families queued in regularly with buckets.
In Bo Waterside, Grand Cape Mount County, Youth Chairman Sackie Sambulah described the strain of too many people relying on too few pumps but alluded to ECOWAS for its intervention.
He explained how the community rationed access to prevent damage to the hand pump and appealed for the construction of additional ones.
“The community is overpopulated now, and the pumps rehabilitated are not really enough. Sometimes people go home crying that the water is not enough. We ask our partners to do more implementation so everybody can benefit,” he said.
To manage the pressure, the pump is opened only at set hours. “When we open from 8 o’clock to 11 o’clock, because there can be too many people, if you don’t do so, it will damage quickly. So that’s the reason why we manage with that time.
Konah Kaiwah, whose home was destroyed by floods, the aid was a lifeline. Standing amid the remnants of her house, she spoke simply of gratitude and need. “We thank you all very much. The money I received, the work we did. We want more help from ECOWAS,” she said.
Only after these tours and voices of survival does the broader picture emerge. ECOWAS officials admit the intervention has not reached its full potential.
Acting Director for Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Ibrahim Mohammed, said the program was designed to support livelihoods, water and sanitation, and cash transfers, but visibility and reach remain limited.
“Honestly speaking, what we’ve seen so far is below expectations in terms of visibility and the number of the targeted population. But it’s a lesson learned for ECOWAS, the implementing partner, and government institutions,” he explained.
ECOWAS’s intervention is more than relief; it is a test of credibility. Mohammed emphasized that Liberia’s targeted population exceeded two million, making it the second highest among member states after Nigeria.
“We are going to go back, look at our report against the NDMA and Red Cross reports, and then conclude generally on how to address the gaps,” he said.
Mohammed, however, emphasized that the initiative reflects the regional body’s commitment to ensure people are at the center of regional integration.
Accordingly, he said the intervention was a practical demonstration of ECOWAS’ determination to move beyond an institution focused primarily on governments and states toward an organization whose work is felt directly by ordinary citizens.
Mohammed called on the NDMA Liberia and the Liberian Red Cross, which served as implementing partners, to enhance the visibility of ECOWAS-funded interventions.
He explained that visibility would enable citizens to better understand the impact of ECOWAS projects in Liberia and recognize how regional resources are being translated into practical assistance for communities.
Abraham Passaway of the NDMA recalled how the partnership was forged. He said ECOWAS insisted the government bring in an experienced implementing partner, leading to a tripartite agreement with the Red Cross.
“ECOWAS said we know the government, but you cannot go and implement on your own. So, we want you to bring an implementing partner. That is how the Red Cross came in, and we signed a three‑party agreement. Right after that, ECOWAS released the funding,” Passaway said.
He said the initiative marked a transformation. “People thought ECOWAS was only about peace and security. But then this ECOWAS has transformed to the ECOWAS of the people.”
Mot. Musa Kromah, in her 60s from Bo Waterside, also praised ECOWAS for the cash transfer, an intervention she said arrived at the right moment when all hope was gone.
“If ECOWAS was not going to come, who was going to help me? Thank God they came and I received the 250. I bought zinc, cement, and other things to fix my house,” she said.
Angeline Urey, who cares for her grandmother in Rubber Factory Community in Bong County, received intervention in a different form through the agricultural component of the project, and also transfer cash transfer was also sent to the home for renovation purposes after it was destroyed by flood.
Through the initiative, Urey was able to strengthen her agricultural activities, allowing her to produce food and improve her household’s economic prospects.
