MONROVIA (January 13, 2012) - This week, a delegation of U.S. policymakers and key stakeholders met with Nobel Peace Prize winners Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee as part of a Learning Tour to Liberia and Ghana led by the global poverty-fighting organization CARE. The meetings came at a pivotal moment for Liberia, just days before President Sirleaf's inauguration for a second term and a month after she and Gbowee accepted their Nobel Prizes for their struggles to promote peace and women's rights. The delegation, including Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), saw U.S. development programs at work in the areas of health, governance, education, gender and nutrition.
President Sirleaf, Africa's first democratically elected female president, will be inaugurated for her second term on Monday. She met with the delegation in a private meeting to discuss plans for her second term in office, the challenges her administration is currently tackling and how the U.S. can continue to engage efforts to bring stability and prosperity to her country. "The United States is Liberia's most important partner, and bilateral cooperation is strong," said President Sirleaf. "I thank this delegation for visiting and commend CARE for restarting their critical work in Liberia." CARE Liberia restarted its operations in September 2008 after a 25-year hiatus.
The group also met with Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee who was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize alongside President Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen. "As leaders, we must reignite the culture of hope to address the challenges that still face our country and its people," said Ms. Gbowee in remarks she made to the group. She launched a women-led peace movement which helped end Liberia's civil war, and she continues to work on behalf of human rights in her country as coordinator of Liberia's National Reconciliation Initiative.
During CARE's Learning Tour, the delegation explored the critical 1,000 days between a woman's pregnancy and her child's second birthday. It is during this period that malnutrition poses the greatest threat to the long-term health of mothers and children, affecting the economic development of families, communities and entire nations. Addressing poor nutrition and its causes, including the ability of families to feed themselves a proper, balanced diet, can lead to tremendous strides in breaking the cycle of poverty.
While in Liberia and Ghana, the delegates visited district hospitals, met with medical staff at clinics, and talked with volunteers and local leaders who described how they are mobilizing their communities to secure access to the quality care women and families need. The delegation also visited local and national government initiatives, programs supported by non-governmental organizations who partner with CARE in-country, as well as some key projects of CARE Liberia including:
The Farming Resource Center, which is a coalition of centers that empower women, including war widows, and men – to grow crops that nourish their families, sustain the rainy season and generate additional income for their families. The program also includes training on entrepreneurship, marketing and bookkeeping skills.
A Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) on the outskirts of Monrovia, in an area called "Peace Island," run by men and women living on less than $2 a day. The program helps them earn a living by managing their own businesses while loaning money to each other. More than 80 percent of the participants in this program are women and the groups generated $60,000 in loans.
CARE's Learning Tours program is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It engages participants involved in U.S. policy to experience firsthand how critical U.S. investments are making a difference. In addition, participants gain an awareness of the challenges at the household, community and government levels and are introduced to promising practices and cost-effective solutions that are saving lives in Liberia and Ghana.
The insights gained from this trip will help participants and CARE advocate for continued support and funding of these initiatives in Liberia, Ghana and throughout the developing world. By building on experience and relationships with communities, promoting family health and working with a coalition of public and private partners, CARE is focusing global efforts to tackle this problem. For more information on CARE's Learning Tours
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