Rural women in Liberia are calling for stronger inclusion in the design and implementation of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) policies, saying national progress remains incomplete as long as rural communities are left behind.
By: Kruah Thompson
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 SRHR Conference held by the Amplifying Rights Network, Ma Nowaai Ida Kaiser, Executive Director of the Rural Women and Girls Rights Foundation, said that while Liberia has made some strides in advancing reproductive health through laws, awareness, and partnerships, those gains are not reaching remote parts of the country like Bong County's Palala District.
"There are villages behind Bong County. Have we reached there? No. Look at the counties where there's no path for even a motorbike to ride, have we reached there? No," Kaiser said passionately. "When we say we are using the media to reach everybody, what is the coverage? Media people, where is your coverage?"
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Her remarks underscored the growing divide between policy on paper and implementation on the ground, a challenge that continues to affect access to reproductive health information and services for women in rural areas.
Kaiser, a long-time advocate for women's empowerment, argued that many rural women still lack basic knowledge about their own bodies, leaving them vulnerable to health complications, early pregnancies, and gender-based violence.
"Our lives will always be incomplete when we don't have informed information about our own body, only know what is outside but not what is inside," she said. "As a grown woman, I don't know everything about my body. Do you know how I feel, because I don't? That's the concern."
She acknowledged progress made through Liberia's alignment with global frameworks such as the Maputo Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Still, she noted that such commitments have yet to be fully domesticated or translated into tangible benefits for women in rural communities.
"We have made some progress, yes. But are we satisfied with the level of progress? No," she added. "Somebody out there doesn't have the information that we have in this room."
Kaiser's remarks came as part of a larger call for intentional investment in rural health education, youth engagement, and community-based advocacy, ensuring that every woman and girl, regardless of location, can access accurate information, safe services, and their full reproductive rights.
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She praised civil society organizations and partners, such as the Amplifying Rights Network (ARN) and the Swedish government, for their support, but urged the Liberian government to take stronger ownership of national SRHR programs.
"Let the Liberian government take the lead," she urged. "When the helper comes, they will only help those who are ready. It's time for us to put our water on our knees."
For Kaiser and many others representing Liberia's rural population, inclusion means more than participation; it means shared power and visibility in shaping national decisions that affect women's lives.
"Inclusion is power. Power to the people," she concluded. "Just include us, we will bring something to the table."-Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
