Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia, is swarming with young men who were former child soldiers in Liberia’s civil war. Most of the young men are uneducated and have few job skills. Many have short attention spans, trouble saving money, and are prone to petty crime and violence. A team of American researchers and Liberian social workers are researching how, and whether, this culture can be transformed. The World’s Jason Margolis has the story.
That is the BBC/PRI on our street youth program. Listen here. Photos here. The full BBC Liberia series here.
I suppose the only clarifications and qualifications I would make are:
- We actually haven’t started the study yet (so I sure hope it gets moving soon)
- We’re not just working with former child soldiers, but trying to reach a pretty broad swathe of street youth
- I’m not American ;)
Overall, a good story. Thank goodness my Country Director sounds better on radio than me.
4 Responses
Thanks for the info. My sister, Dr. Lise Rehwaldt, spends a lot of time in Liberia providing health care (ob/gyn) to women. I am planning to go there just over a year from now to teach and report as a journalist. I am a fine furniture builder and a general contractor and it occurred to me after talking with my sister that carpentry is a perfect skill for those strong young men. It requires discipline, patience and a kind of concentration they’re used to — the kind where if you don’t pay attention you’ll get hurt. Thanks for caring. I look forward to seeing your report. T
You ARE american – even north american, at that.
Looking forward to seeing the results—blog reflections on the process would be great if you have time.
Re: American-Canadian confusion, we’re all just former British colonial subjects with different accents, right? ;)
Danger pay is a crude metric of social stability. Danger pay for USAID contractors in Liberia has dropped to 0 from 25% since 2004.
http://www.alisoncummins.com/2010/06/28/notes-from-liberia-third-trip/