BOMI COUNTY — Women in Gbojay, Bomi County, say financial support from the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP) is helping them build small businesses, pay their children’s school expenses, and ease financial pressures in their homes. But they are calling on the government and its partners to extend the assistance to other women still struggling to make ends meet.
By Patience M. Jones,patiencejones@frontpageafricaonline.com
The women made the appeal Wednesday, during a field visit by representatives of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), the World Bank, Plan International, and other project partners to assess the impact of the initiative on local livelihoods.
For beneficiaries, the support has provided more than access to money. It has created opportunities to save, borrow, invest in small businesses and contribute to household expenses. However, women who have not benefited from the program remain a concern for those already receiving assistance.
Oretha Cooper, secretary of the Walekerma Village Savings Group, said the financial support had helped members develop better money management skills and use loans to strengthen their businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the group’s chairlady, Cooper said the revolving fund had helped women understand the importance of saving, investing, and repaying loans so that other members could also access the money.
“Before, some of us did not know how to manage money or operate businesses. But today, this support has helped us learn how to save, borrow, invest, and repay our loans,” Cooper said.
The group has 25 members and received US$8,000 in revolving funds, disbursed in two instillments of US$4,000 each, according to Cooper and the project coordinator.
Cooper said the money had helped members improve their businesses and meet family responsibilities, including their children’s educational needs.
But she said the benefits should not stop with the current group.
“We want you to help other communities and women who have not received this opportunity. We are benefiting from the support, and we want other women to have the same chance to improve their lives,” she added.
Single Mother Uses Support to Feed Her Family
For Satta Massalay, a beneficiary of the project, the assistance has provided an opportunity to earn an income through gardening and small-scale trading.
Massalay said she divided the money between her farming activities and the purchase of goods for resale, allowing her to generate income to support herself and her children.
“I used the money to work in my garden and buy goods to sell. The profit I make helps me solve problems for myself and my children,” she said.
Another female beneficiary also praised the government and its partners, saying the assistance had helped her establish a small business.
The experiences reflect how livelihood support can help women build income-generating activities and contribute to their families’ daily needs.
According to the LWEP Project Coordinator, village savings groups receive up to US$8,000 in revolving funds, while individual enterprises receive grants of up to US$2,500.
The support is intended to help women establish businesses, expand existing enterprises, and improve their financial independence.
Man Says Women’s Economic Empowerment Can Ease Family Tensions
The impact of the program, beneficiaries say, extends beyond business and household income.
Momo Mah, a male community member, said women’s economic empowerment could help reduce financial pressure within households and improve relationships between couples.
Mah explained that when husbands are expected to meet nearly every household expense, repeated financial demands can sometimes create tension. But when women earn their own income, they can contribute to family needs and ease that pressure.
“When a woman starts doing something small and earning money, it brings fresh air into the home,” Mah said. “As a husband, when I see that my wife is doing something to help the family, I also feel encouraged.”
He urged the government and its partners to provide more women with opportunities to earn income, arguing that stronger financial independence could contribute to more stable households.
His remarks highlighted the connection between women’s economic empowerment and efforts to reduce tensions that may arise from financial hardship.
Women Demand Wider Access to Support
Fatu Sonnie, another beneficiary, said the project had helped women generate income to support their children’s education and meet other household expenses.
However, she raised concerns that some women in the community had not benefited from the program, despite facing similar economic challenges.
Sonnie appealed to the project partners to extend assistance to more women so they could also establish businesses and improve their living conditions.
The appeals from Cooper and Sonnie point to a challenge facing community-based empowerment programs: ensuring that opportunities reach women beyond the initial groups selected to benefit.
Government Urges Beneficiaries to Expand Opportunities
Julius Sele, executive director of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), said the initiative forms part of broader government efforts to improve livelihoods through small businesses and community-based agricultural activities.
Sele said the program brings together government institutions, the World Bank, and implementing partners to support women and communities facing economic challenges.
He encouraged beneficiaries to use the funds responsibly and demonstrate that the assistance could produce lasting results.
“Those of you who have the opportunity now should demonstrate your ability to do better, so that tomorrow other women who are not part of the group can also have access to similar opportunities,” Sele said.
He also urged the savings group to consider extending credit opportunities to women outside its membership.
Sele noted that while the group had 25 members, the wider community had more than 100 women, making it important to explore ways of spreading the benefits.
His appeal placed responsibility on both project partners and current beneficiaries to help ensure that more women can access economic opportunities.
World Bank Praises Women’s Collective Efforts
Robert Chase, the World Bank’s Practice Manager for Social Policy, said he was encouraged by the women’s experiences and their willingness to discuss challenges affecting their lives.
Chase, who was visiting Liberia for the first time in connection with the project, said he had followed the initiative for years and welcomed the opportunity to observe its implementation in the community.
“I was very impressed to see the way the SASA! group is talking about difficult issues and trying to open up conversations to empower women and the community,” Chase said.
He also highlighted the importance of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), which enable women to save together, access loans, develop businesses, and discuss issues affecting their households and communities.
Chase said the experiences and ideas emerging from Bomi County could offer lessons for other communities across West Africa.
Project Reaches Six Counties
The Liberia Women Empowerment Project is a government initiative implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with financing from the World Bank.
It supports women’s economic empowerment through livelihood activities, improved access to basic services, community participation, and efforts to prevent violence against women and girls.
The project operates in Bomi, Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Montserrado, and River Cess counties.
The Wednesday field visit also included activities under the Rural Economic Transformation Project (REALISE) in Queenie-1 Town, Suehn Mecca District, Bomi County.
According to the Ministry of Gender, REALISE has supported 33 participants in Queenie-1, including 28 members of an agricultural livelihood group and five Community Oversight Committee members.
The farming group has planted 39 acres of rice, with harvesting ongoing, while a community-selected rice mill has been installed and is operational.
The broader field visit was intended to assess implementation progress, hear directly from beneficiaries, and identify areas requiring further action.
For the women in Gbojay, the support has opened doors to small businesses, improved household contributions, and greater financial independence. But their appeal is clear: the opportunities helping some women move forward should also reach those still waiting for a chance.
The experiences shared in Gbojay show how LWEP, under MGCSP’s leadership and with World Bank financing, is helping women grow businesses, meet their children’s school expenses, and contribute more to household needs. Savings groups and community dialogue are also providing spaces for women to strengthen their financial skills and discuss issues affecting their lives.
The challenge ahead is to sustain these gains while addressing the needs of women yet to benefit. For Gbojay’s beneficiaries, progress carries a shared hope: that the opportunities helping them build greater financial independence will also open doors for other women in their community.