Liberia: WOCI And Partners Contribute To Responsible Agricultural Investment, Women And Youths Empowerment In Bomi County Through Low Land Farming Initiative

In early March of this year, Women Care Initiative (WOCI) procured and supplied farming tools and seedings to 3 communities to carryout low land farming following a thorough needs assessment. The communities include Johnson Farm, Beh-Sao and Damah respectively.

As a result of this intervention, these women farming groups are now actively involved with peanut and corn farming while they also generate proceeds from Soap making as critical sources of income to support their Village Saving and micro loan program. The total membership of women is around 60 persons with over 95% made of women and girls while men are also a member of the agricultural component of these groups.

Currently, the women group based in Johnson has cultivated over 3.5 acres of land with peanut and corn seedings which are now ready for harvest.

Speaking to a team of WOCI and ForumCiv management staff over the weekend in Johnson Farm, the Co- Chairperson of the women farming group, madam Jumama C. Varmah noted: ” today marks a great moment for us to show case some of the vegetables we produced this year and how the soap and VSLA activities which WOCI and ForumCiv have supported are now making some great changes in the lives of women while helping to hold us together as a group.

Highlighting the importance of the social enterprise program that is implemented by WOCI and funded by ForumCiv, the chairperson of the VSLA, group, madam Mary Mc-Karnley also asserted: ” we are happy to share success stories and to present samples of the crops we are producing from our! ow land farming activities; Proceeds we are getting from the sale of our Soap and the farm are now helping us to feed our VSLA program”.

The women noted that incomes generated from these activities are being used as rotating funds to support micro loan and household development while single Mothers are now being empowered to support their children in school.

Recommending the need for expansion of the project, the women head noted” We are asking ForumCiv and WOCI to kindly increase the level of support to enable us have our own women center where we can gather to discuss women’s issues ” madam Mc-Karnley concluded.

Acknowledging the impacts of the project in promoting social equality, peace and social cohesion, a senior Elder of the Johnson Farm community, Mr. Boakai Johnson expressed delight and noted that the project intervention had got both men and women actively involved into economic activities thus contributing to reducing Gender-based violence situations and other social barriers in his community.

He noted: ” the number of Gender-based cases has reduced among men and women since the inception of this project in our community; as a member of the elders council, we are also supporting these women in their farming endeavors”.

Speaking on behalf of the visiting team, Mr. Asa Chon, the Country Manager of ForumCiv Liberia expressed extreme delight and optimism with the level of progress being made by the women groups, urged them to utilize all existing opportunities that will enable realize their self-potential and economic independence.

He thanked the management of WOCI headed by Madam Jennet O. Paye for the level of programmatic intervention, promised to work with WOCI in sustaining the gains made in promoting women’s quest for gender equity and equality in Bomi County.

For her part, madam Jenent O. Paye, the Executive Director of WOCI, thanked ForumCiv for the confidence and level of support, promised to do more in the best interest of women in Liberia.

WOCI is a woman-led CSO based in Tubmanburg funded by ForumCiv Liberia through the Sustainable Ownership program to support and undertake intervention that promotes women’s land rights while utilizing skills in ADR to promote peace and social justice for women, youths and persons with disability in customary communities in Bomi County for the period of 40 months.

As a member of the thematic working group on women and youths, WOCI plays a pivotal role in coordinating land governance activities at the sub-national level while playing a more strategic role as Regional Co-convener and Steering Committee member of the Multi-Actor Platform on Land Governance and Responsible Investment in Western Liberia.

The assessment continued with a site visit to the peanut farm followed by a brief photo taken with the women group and staff members of WOCI and ForumCiv Liberia.

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