Monrovia – For years now, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the government agency working on behalf of the Swedish parliament and government, has been making immense contributions toward implementing Sweden’s Policy for Global Development.
In Liberia, part of that implementation, through the European Union has come by way of helping to boost productivity in the agricultural sector, Feeder Roads Project, which upgrades rural roads to improve opportunities for people to sell their goods and services, as well as improving access to health care and education.
Over the past couple of year, a number of unheralded projects, geared toward empowering women and adolescents’ growth have slid under the radar.
One of those projects, Kvinna till Kvinna (KtK) aims to strengthen women and women’s rights organizations in regions affected by conflict.
Currently active in Montserrado, Bong, Grand Bassa, Nimba, Sinoe, River Gee, Grand Kru and Maryland counties, KtK has been supporting Liberian women’s organizations since 2007; in-country since 2011. Through the SIDA programme, KtK supports nine women’s organizations to improve their capacity and network, in order to effectively undertake women’s rights advocacy work.
The programme goal is to contribute to a “stronger and more connected women rights movement in Liberia working more effectively and sustainably for women’s rights and empowerment including the opportunity and capacity to participate qualitatively in decision-making and peacebuilding at different levels, act against gender-based violence and strengthen their economic empowerment”.
Currently, the programme supports capacity building of the partner organizations, and provides technical and financial support to partner projects across three outcome areas: women’s active participation in decision-making, including peacebuilding; prevention of and response to gender-based violence; and
Support to women’s economic empowerment (WEE).
KtK provides training, mentoring and tailored support to partner organisations in areas such as: strategic planning, creation of advocacy strategy, development of internal policies, and diversification of funding. The programme also facilitates domestic and international networking opportunities for partners and other stakeholders working on women’s rights issues.
KtK partner organisations have contributed to an increase in women´s active participation in decision-making and peacebuilding at the grassroots level, and more women have assumed leadership positions in their communities in the eight counties covered by the programme. KtK partner organisations also used the network and advocacy capabilities developed to work with other stakeholders to successfully lobby for the passage of the Land Rights Act in 2018. Work also continues across GBV campaigns, and economic empowerment projects.
Overview and objectives
The Empowered and Fulfilled programme aims to improve the wellbeing of Liberian adolescents and youth through their increased access to quality sexuality education, SRH Services and empowerment towards attaining their full potential and contribute to a reduction in high teenage pregnancy within four counties in Grand Gedeh, Maryland, Grand Kru and River Gee. The objectives include Increased access and utilization of Sexual reproductive health and family planning services by young people and social, education and health systems delivering evidence-based SRH and FP information and services to young people (10-19 years).
The Liberian youth population, and especially adolescent girls are faced with multiple socio and economic challenges. With an adolescent birth rate of 141 hence high teenage pregnancy rate estimated at 31%, early childbirth where 59.1% of adolescent girls are mothers by age 19.
Activities
The programme aims to conduct advocacy for positively influencing the legal and policy environment for SRHR and programme environment for SRH and family planning, to provide gender sensitive and life skills based comprehensive sexuality education, community behaviour change communication for SRH/FP information and services, building capacity of mainly public institutions and community structures like general community health workers and trained peer educators to deliver SRH in a youth friendly approach and to promote youth participation through adolescent girls leadership and economic empowerment.
The expected outcome is to empower vulnerable adolescents especially girls to make informed decisions regarding their sexuality, access and utilize sexual reproductive health and family planning services; thereby significantly reducing teenage pregnancies and exercising their SRH and rights that would ultimately protect them from sexual abuse, reproductive health challenges and improve their well-being and empowerment to attain their full potential.
As of 2018, the programme has contributed to an increased modern contraceptive utilization rate among adolescents from a baseline of 24% to 66% among the target group. In addition, the cumulative number of adolescents reached with SRHR services for the year 2018 is 92,840 adolescents. For example: 24,840 students in primary and secondary schools benefited from sex-education in school, while 4,951 adolescents were through eleven (11) Women Susu clubs in out-of-school settings in the four targeted counties.