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Introduction

The European Federation of Liberian Associations (EFLA) is an umbrella European Liberian organizations and associations that was established in July 2003 in an effort to provide support to Liberians in Europe and Liberia.  EFLA is a legally registered Belgian based federation comprising of a network of Liberian Associations and Organizations located in The Netherlands, France, Luxemburg, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, The United Kingdom and The Kingdom of Belgium

Objectives

To foster and enhance closer relationship, fellowship, cultural and social development between Liberian organizations in Europe; and maintain concrete and constructive ties with Liberians at home thereby contributing to the development of Liberia through programs and projects; also, to deepen closer Liberian – European relations.  

Membership

Membership is opened to all Liberian associations, organizations and groups that are legally registered within their respective countries and operational. The EXECUTIVE COUNCIL can allow other persons as supporting members to the Federation.              

The Development Challenge for Liberia and the European Federation of Liberian Associations (EFLA) PLAN

Status

For fourteen years from 1989 to the signing of the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in August of 2003, Liberia was in a constant state of conflict. In a nation of only three and half million people, it is estimated that the war took over 250,000 lives and displaced a million people, including hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled the country. It is difficult to exaggerate the devastation this protracted civil war has had on Liberia's physical, social, political and economic infrastructure. Liberia's human development indicators reflect the alarming condition of its people. Over 80% of Liberia's population is illiterate and lives below the poverty line. The unemployment rate exceeds 70%. Thirty-five percent of Liberians are malnourished, only 28% are fully immunized, just 25% have access to safe drinking water, and only 36% have access to sanitation facilities.

These data presents raw facts that Liberia is in dire need of assistance from the international community and its own citizens. This is the Challenge to the EFLA and we have decided unanimously to undertake the following projects for our people: 

• HEALTH – setting up health education and mobile clinics to operate in remote areas of Liberia ;
• EDUCATION- sending qualified instructors/professors to teach in Liberian schools and donating computers to secondary schools that are connected to the internet;
• AGRICULTURE – providing research expertise on the agricultural sector and empowering farmers to be self sufficient in food production by providing tools and seeds and requisite training and technical supervision;
• RESETTLEMENT AND INTEGRATION – Providing up to date information on Liberia for people returning to engage in small and medium size businesses and providing appropriate accommodation for businesses. Also, centralize information that will permit Liberians to resettle easier  without being a problem to governments in Liberia and Europe.   

BACKGROUND TO THE 5 YEAR PLAN

The 14 years of the civil wars in Liberia left a devastating rancor on the poor health care delivery system in the country. Prior to the war, Liberia was among the countries in the Sub-Sahara with 80 percent of its population having no access to basic health care. Some major attributing factors have been income level, the availability of health care to population in rural areas and poor medical facilities.

Preventable diseases such as acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, malaria, measles, and malnutrition have become major killer diseases. Many of these deaths occur in countries in Sub-Sahara Africa with Liberia being no exception.

The World health organization in 2003 reported that 242 out of the 293 Liberian public health facilities were looted while some were forced to close because of lack of supplies or staff.  WHO said that the situations outside the cities in Liberia are worse.  WHO is also quoted as saying “that less than 10% of Liberians- mainly those in urban and safe areas have access to any kind of health care.”

 Projects to undertake

Health care on wheels (mobile clinic)

Improving childhood nutrition

AIDS care, prevention, education and control

Public health improvement

Mobile optometry (eye) clinic

Reasons for the projects

• Support government efforts to meet the basic health needs of the underserved population by contributing to the promotion of better health care delivery.
• Design community based health projects to create responsive community that will participate in improving their own health care.

Benefits

To reduce health care disparities by increasing access to basic health care for the underserved rural population in Liberia.

This site was last updated: 19-Feb-2008

Health care projects are based on community felt needs and form integral part of community development programs. EFLA health projects also aimed to empower the community to take active participation in dealing with its health problems.

 EDUCATION

 BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT LIBERIAN EDUCATION

 Basically, the education system of Liberia comprises five categories or divisions – a kindergarten/pre-primary division, primary/elementary division, junior high division, senior high division and post-secondary/higher-education division. The junior and senior high divisions are generally termed secondary division. All schools are under the supervision of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Liberia. The school year generally runs from September to June. The language of instruction is English.

 Under normal conditions, the kindergarten/pre-primary division lasts for three years, and the children who attend are from three to six years; the primary/elementary division lasts for six years, and the children who go there are from six to twelve years; the junior high division lasts for three years, and the children who attend are from twelve to fifteen years; the senior high division lasts for three years, and the children who go there are from fifteen to eighteen years. 

Most of the schools are concentrated in Monrovia, the capital, thereby causing the rural population to be mostly illiterate. Many factors are responsible for this: lack of funds, programs and facilities, inaccessibility of roads, lack of trained teachers, unwillingness of qualified teachers to take up teaching duties in the rural areas, low salaries, and many other reasons. Most of the schools that are in operation lack trained/qualified teachers, requisite and up-to-date educational materials, etc. 

 PROJECT TO UNDERTAKE

1. Teacher Training and Counseling Programs
2. Donation of Books and Other Educational/Instructional Materials

 REASONS: 1. A) There is a general lack of trained/qualified teachers in the country; most of those who are teaching are either ill-prepared, or are not prepared at all, a situation that is having adverse effects not only on the children, but also on the education system of the country. Moreover, there is the problem of out-of-field teaching – a situation in which teachers teach subjects for which they have little background/training, or no background at all. B) A good portion of the students are either ex-combatants, or are traumatized by many factors, factors that result from the civil war, as well as the generally unfavorable conditions of the country. 2. Most schools and students lack needed books and many other educational/instructional materials that will help both the teachers and the students to appropriately consummate the two-way process: imparting of knowledge and the acquisition of knowledge. In this area, the need for up-to-date books cannot be overemphasized.

 BENEFITS: 1. A) The training and proper placement of teachers in Liberian schools will not only help to equip the teachers professionally and educationally, but will also help the students to acquire the requisite materials and knowledge, thereby strengthening the education system of the country and producing graduates who will be competent enough to function in the new Liberia. B) Teachers who go through counseling training will also be able to identify students’ psychological and personal problems/behavior, especially considering the fourteen-year war and its effects on the children, and help them to deal with the problems in a professional manner, thereby helping and developing the children holistically. 2. The distribution/donation of requisite educational materials, including books, will not only help the schools to provide up-to-date information and sound education to the children, but will also serve as a motivator to both students and teachers in appreciating the relevance of education in a modern society.

 AGRICULTURAL

INFORMATION ON THE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM OF LIBERIA:

It is estimated in 2000 that rice paddy production has fallen to 144 000 tones, compared with the pre-war (1988) figure of 259 000 tones. The area planted to rice in the year 2000 is estimated at 135 000 hectares, suggesting an average yield of 1.1 tones/hectare. Small plots and poor yields are the main cause of low production per household. As the economy in Liberia improves and more refugees return, the demand for rice can be expected to increase.
With rice production (milled) estimated at 94 000 tones and a national requirements at 294 000 tones (approximately 80 percent rice, 17 percent wheat and 3 percent maize), Liberia's cereal import requirement in 2001 is estimated at 200 000 tones. Commercial imports are estimated at 160 000 tones, leaving an uncovered deficit of 40 000 tones to be met by food aid (Source: FAO Stat).

PROJECTS TO UNDERTAKE:

The goal for EFLA is to create a sustainable agricultural project throughout Liberia with the following aims and objectives.

• To provide affordable agricultural tools to farmers
• To provide improve rice seeds to farmers
• Constructions of suitable irrigation projects and utilize existing irrigation facilities throughout the Liberia. Irrigation will be developed in an integrated manner by harnessing irrigation potential according to their capacity.
• To encourage traditional farmers to grow swamp rice by creating target group at village level.
• To provide rice milling machines at designated areas in rural Liberia.
• Make available attractive prices and market facilities by making institution responsible such as LPMC to purchase the farmers produce at real-time market price.

REASONS:

Liberia's economy has been devastated by fourteen years of civil war from which it is trying to recover. Unemployment is running at an all time high while the number of people living below the poverty line has grown considerably.
Wages for unskilled and skilled workers are very low and a 50 kg bag of rice in Monrovia at time of publishing this paper costs around US$28.
Rice consumption requirement for an average family is 600-800 kg per annum while production is estimated at 500-600 kg per farming household. As there is little or no surplus, urban dwellers depend mostly on imported rice.

 BENEFITS:

At the end of the project, it is envisaged that a large portion of Liberian farmers will turn to swamp rice production which will not only increase food supply but will increase economic security. Rice milling machines will be provided at strategic areas in rural Liberia to give farmers the opportunity to process their rice seeds in order to increase their sales earnings.

EFLA aimed to negotiate with LPMC and other governmental institutions in Liberia to guarantee a real-time market price for the farmers produce.