The Rural Integration Center for Community Empowerment (RICCE) in partnership with the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) hosted the fourth annual "Stand Up And Take Action, End Poverty Now" campaign in Ganta, Nimba County from Friday, October 16, 2009 to Sunday, October 18, 2009.

Events held for the celebrations were public forum, street parade, in-door programs, and football tournament. Participants came from the student community, faith based groups, government institutions, women organizations, United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), business community and the media.

The festivity began on Friday, October 16, 2009 with the Maternal Mortality Dialogue on the MDGs taking place at the Concerned Women Conference Hall. Participants included women and youth groups, the marketing associations, County Health Officer (CHO), District Educational Officer, representatives of Government and the general public.

The SUTA pledge was read as a means of reminding local readers on reducing maternal death rate and the achievement of the MDGs. The pledge speaks of the refusal to accept more excuses in a world where 50,000 people die every day due to extreme poverty and the need for leaders to honor their promises to meet the Millennium Development Goals, asking them to exceed these goals.

The SUTA event of Saturday, October 17, 2009 started with a parade from the Concerned Women Head Office through the principal streets of Ganta unto the J.W. Pearson High School auditorium, where the indoor program was held. Those in attendance included civil society organizations, youths, students, women groups, International Organizations (UNMIL, Norwegian Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee IRC), faith based institutions and the Government of Liberia. Participants, mostly women and youths, reminded government about the problems facing maternal health care in rural Liberia.

As for the Ganta citizens, they demanded the construction of a facility such as a public health center, which they said, is absent in their area. The Executive Director of RICCE, Mrs. Salome G. Gofan declared that the thematic area for this year's SUTA events stressed on goals three and five of the MDGs, focusing on gender equality and women empowerment as well as maternal health care issues.

The climax of the events was on Sunday, October 18, 2009, when an Anti-Poverty Soccer Tournament featured four schools, namely the St. Lawrence Catholic School, Faith Academy, Young Men Christian Association High School and Youth Academy High School. The tournament was geared towards reminding the government on its promises made in 2000 to free men, women and children from extreme poverty and hunger.

The "Stand Up, Take Action" campaign is a worldwide call to join the global movement against poverty and as such, they have demand that governments meet and exceed the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by the 2015 deadline. With just six years left to reach 2015 deadline, the time which world leaders have pledged to achieve the MDGs, people around the world are demanding their leaders to deliver on the promises they made in 2000 to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes.

Of a greater concern, is the fact that the MDGs commitment related to women's empowerment including the promise to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters by the year 2015, has recorded minimum progress. More especially, women are hard hit by the devastating impacts of financial, food and climate crises, since women and children constitute more than 70 percent of those living extreme in poverty.

In Africa, the "Stand Up" campaign provides an opportunity for citizens to show solidarity with millions of poor and excluded groups by demanding that governments become more accountable by improving governance practices and develop and implement pro-poor policies.