Newstalk 106-108 fm documentary on gender rights in Liberia. Listen to the full documentary below.

Can Liberia recover from the violent memories of its bitter civil war & become a stable and resilient democracy? In Speaking Out: Stories of Hope from the Women of Liberia Susan Cahill tells the remarkable personal story of 6 Liberian women & how they have survived their country’s 14 year civil war & are now slowly rebuilding their homes,families & nation.

Recorded on-location in Monrovia city and Bong County, ‘Speaking Out’ brings listeners into the homes, workplaces, farms, schools and marketplaces of Liberia to poignantly highlight the mammoth social, economic, political, cultural and psychological challenges facing Liberia and its inspirational women.

Among the many brave and outspoken women Susan meets with is Grace, a Monrovian midwife, Christine, a social entrepreneur & war refugee,  Deborah, a HIV counsellor, Esther, a community teacher, Musu, a Liberian national now living in the US and Wehaty, a rural gender empowerment activist.

This moving documentary captures the unique spirit of Liberian women as they move on from the pain, suffering and trauma of war and now look to a peaceful and prosperous future for their country and children.

‘Speaking Out’ documentary will be broadcast on Newstalk on Saturday the 28^th of May from 7am to 8am & is repeated on Sunday the 29^th of May between 6pm and 7pm. This documentary is sponsored by the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund.

Key Interviews in Liberia

• Grace Hawa Boiwu, Midwife & Grief & Trauma Counsellor, Monrovia
• Musu Wacka, a Liberian expat now living in America
• Wehaty Sangalaine, a Mother of 7 & Gender Programme Officer, Loan Scheme, Den L, Bong County
• Esther C Jarwu, Coordinator & Trainer, Gender Action Programme, Den L, Bong County
• Christine Tanneh, Social Entrepreneur & Owner of  Chrisseta Beauty School, Monrovia
• Deborah Parker Dahn, HIV Counsellor & Farm Manager, Elwa Hospital Farm, Caresburg, Monseraddo County.
• Women and Children Development Association of Liberia (WOCDAL)Tucker Town, Margibi County, Supported by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• Rowena Geddeh, Community Facilitator, Liberian Sustainable Development Institute
• Women’s Street Cleaners, Randall Street, Monrovia
• Yenplu, a Village Shop Owner, Bong County

Quick Facts on Liberia

• Liberia is ranked 169 of the 182 countries in the Human Development Index
• Liberia has currently a 80% national unemployment rate (World Bank)
• 70% of Liberians live on less than 1.5 US dollars per day (UNDP)
• Over 200,000 Liberians died during the country’s 14 year long civil war (UNDP)
• Approximately 40% of Liberian women experienced gender violence during the Civil War – rape, torture and sexual slavery. (UN Women)
• Liberia is one of the poorest in the world.  68 % of the rural population and 55% of the urban population live on less than US$1 a day, while 56% of the rural population and 29 % of the urban population fall below the extreme poverty line, lacking the necessary means to meet the cost of basic food needs. (World Food Programme)
• Liberian women in rural areas frequently face abuse and violation of their constitutional rights. Traditional practices and social norms often deny women their statutory entitlements to inheritance and property, legally registered marriages, and the maintenance and custody of children. (UN Women)
• Women comprise 54% the labour force in both the formal and informal sectors. In agriculture they constitute the majority of smallholder producers and it is estimated that they produce approximately 60 % of agricultural products, carry out more than 80% of trading activities in the rural areas.
• 90% of Liberian women are employed in the informal sector or agriculture. (FAO)
• While 19% of men have completed secondary school or higher, only 8 % of women have accomplished the same.
• Maternal mortality is one of the highest in the world, and is estimated at 994/100,000 births (WHO)
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became President of Liberia in 2005. She is the first woman in Africa to be elected as a head of State.

Travel through the streets, towns and villages of Liberia and see how the country and its resilient men, women and children are positively coming to terms with their violent past.

Susan Cahill reports live from Monrovia on the food security and civil society challenges facing Ghana & Liberia in West Africa.

Susan Cahill interviews The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström on the challenges facing women in Liberia today.

Susan Cahill travels to the DEN-L Complex, Gbarnga, Liberia – a civil society organisation supported by Trócaire. Listen to some of the inspirational women of Den L and hear how Liberia is positively coming to terms with it’s violent past.

Susan Cahill talks with the inspirational Father Chris Brennan of the Society of African Missions (SMA) from the Catholic diocese Compound in Gbarnga on the human development challenges facing Liberia as it slowly heals the scars of war.

Susan Cahill travels to the Central Region in Ghana for Global Village to see how the Rainforest Alliance is supporting small scale cocoa farmers and communities.

Listen to Global Village World AIDS Day Special December 1^st 2010 and hear how West Africa is actively fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

More about: Africa Bong County Chris Brennan Christine community teacher DEN-L Complex Economic Community of West African States Esther food security Gbarnga Ghana HIV counsellor Liberia Margot Wallström Monrovia Monrovian midwife Musu Newstalk 106 - 108 fm newstalk 106 -108 Political geography Rainforest Alliance Representative Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund social entrepreneur Social Issues Society of African Missions Susan Cahill United Nations United States Wehaty West Africa