Monrovia — In a significant move to address the growing crisis of street children in Liberia, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is set to officially launch the "Street Child Project," under the theme "Support A Child, Save The Future," on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. This initiative marks the beginning of a five-year national effort led by the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, aimed at permanently removing over 7,000 children from the streets across the country.
The launch event will take place at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, under the theme: "Arise Liberia, Let's Save the Future of Our Children." This project underscores Liberia's renewed commitment to creating a safer and more supportive environment for every child and is a crucial step toward securing their futures.
The "Support A Child, Save The Future" project was developed following a 2022 survey revealing that a staggering 366,584 children were living in street situations across Liberia. Montserrado County alone accounts for 42% of these children, totaling 153,965, with Nimba, Bassa, Bong, and Margibi counties contributing another 42%. The survey identified various root causes of this crisis, including malnutrition, substance abuse, violence, exploitation, and human trafficking.
The project aims to permanently remove 73,317 children, representing 20% of the total, from street situations. The pilot phase, which will span one year, will focus on Montserrado County, targeting the removal of 7,698 children, or 5% of the county's total. Additionally, the project will empower 1,920 mothers and caregivers, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis. This initiative seeks to protect and uplift vulnerable street children by providing them with the care, education, and opportunities needed for a brighter future.
The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has pledged to work closely with all relevant partners and stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the "Support A Child, Save The Future" project. This collective effort aims to create lasting change, securing a safer and brighter future for every child in Liberia.
Preparations Ahead of the Launch
In preparation for the launch, the Ministry of Gender, led by Minister Gbeme Horace-Kollie, has made significant strides to ensure the project's success. On August 14, the Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Street Child-Liberia to help recruit and enroll 50,000 children from the streets over the next six years.
Under this agreement, Street Child will mobilize resources and collaborate with the Ministry to place these children in school and provide livelihood support or grants to their parents. Andrew Tehmeh, Country Director for Street Child-Liberia, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, describing it as a worthy initiative.
"This is a worthy cause, and we are glad to be a part of it," Tehmeh said during the brief signing ceremony. "I want to encourage all Liberians to join this effort. This is a major opportunity to make an impact and help children who are out of school and wandering the streets."
Minister Kollie shared her excitement about the partnership with Street Child-Liberia, stating, "I am excited. This is the kind of collaboration we have been looking forward to, and I am grateful that today we have the opportunity to make it a reality." She praised the organization as "God-sent" due to their expertise and emphasized the urgency of addressing the crisis, noting that both she and President Boakai are fully committed to the initiative.
Although the project is set to be officially launched on August 28, some interventions are already underway. The government has committed US$379,000 as startup funding for the pilot phase, and 50 social workers have been recruited and trained in community entry, identification and documentation, child protection best practices, referral, and counseling.
"Social workers have already mapped over 200 communities across the four project zones, and 10 private schools have been identified in areas where public schools are not accessible for children," Minister Kollie said. "Public rehabilitation centers have been identified to provide detoxification services, led by the Ministry of Health (MOH)."
She also mentioned that 50 potential foster caregivers have voluntarily registered their information in the project's foster care registry and will be trained by the Ministry of Gender. UNICEF has provided initial training for the project's social workers on using the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) and has committed to offering further training before the official launch.
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"The CPIMS, developed with support from UNICEF, is designed to collect, store, analyze, and share child protection-related data, which is crucial for the street children project," she added. "The Ministry is now calling on the public to support this national effort by signing up as foster caregivers, either by taking a child into their home or supporting them in another way."
For every foster parent who takes in a child, the Ministry of Gender will assign a social worker to monitor the child's well-being.
Due to the prevalence of street vendors in Montserrado County, the Ministry has divided the county into four zones:
Zone 1 covers Gabriel Tucker Bridge, Waterside Bridge, Stockton Creek Bridge, Duala, and Poor River Bridge.
Zone 2 include Greater Monrovia - West Point, Slipway, Central Monrovia, Sinkor, ending at Vamumah. Congo Town, ELWA, AB Tolbert Road, and RIA Highway make up of Zone 3; while Zone 4 covers Japanese Freeway, Paynesville Red Light, Mount Barclay, Johnsonville, Todee, and Dixville.
